Alina Homecare Horsham

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question Good.

At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 72 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Accidents and untoward incidents were investigated, used to inform any changes to the service, and the provider apologised when things went wrong. The registered manager spoke of actions they took following an incident and learning which resulted in additional checks and training for staff. The registered manager was open and honest with the person affected and put measures in place to reduce reoccurrence. Incidents were logged to enable any trends or patterns to be identified. Incidents were responded to appropriately and lessons learned were shared with the staffing team and the wider organisation.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. The registered manager or senior staff undertook pre-service assessments with people prior to them being supported, this involved over the phone discussions and subsequent visits to people’s homes or the hospital if needed. They liaised with healthcare professionals to ensure people received a continuity of care. The registered manager told us, “We might have initial contact [with people] online or from recommendations, we complete initial assessment and it's important for us to meet people alongside their relatives and professionals and complete a thorough assessment. We ask about everything”.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately. People and family members told us they felt safe with staff, comments included, “Very safe certainly, they are all very good.” And “110% safe, they are incredible, sensible, empathic and proactive. I’ve never had a sense of anything other than they are really professional.” Staff understood their responsibility to report concerns within the service and to external authorities where required. A staff member said, “I am confident with identifying signs of abuse and if I notice the client has unexplained bruises, or are withdrawn etc. I will report to my manager immediately.”

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. People were supported to manage risks associated with their health and equipment they required. Care plans included guidance for staff to support people with equipment to move and position. For example, hoists and stand aids. Risks were identified where people lived with various health conditions, for example, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Care plans guided staff on how to ensure people were as involved as possible to manage their own risks. The service had a falls policy in place to guide on what to do in the event of an emergency. We identified some areas of risk management were not as detailed as others. For example, risk assessments had not considered potential increased risks associated with falls for one person who was prescribed anticoagulant medicines. The registered manager acted on our feedback and reviewed the care plans and provided staff with further guidance during our assessment.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The registered manager and staff identified where improvements could be made to people’s homes to promote their safety. Where assessments highlighted some potential safety concerns, these were acted on. One family member told us how staff had identified and informed them when a smoke alarm required its battery changing. They found this level of attention to safety in the home to be reassuring.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. Staff recruitment was value-based and this ensured the registered manager employed staff who shared the organisations values. Staff and managers worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. People and family members told us they had continuity of care staff who usually attended on time and always stayed for the correct length of time. Comments included, “I have a list who is coming in the morning and who is coming in the afternoon, they are all regular, the same [staff], they introduce themselves; I know them all by name”. Staff were supported by an effective induction and training programme. Staff consistently told us about the opportunities available to them. Comments included, “Training was online and face to face, I found it equipped me with the knowledge and confidence so I could carry out the job in a successful way. If I felt like I needed more training I could ask.” People and their family members were consistently positive about staff skills and training.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. People told us staff supported them to keep their homes clean. Staff received infection prevention and control training and had access to personal protective equipment (PPE). Consideration was given to people’s health conditions and staff were aware to wear additional PPE to support some people at their request and to take specific precautions. People and relatives told us staff practiced good hygiene comments included, “They have got plastic gloves and they wash their hands.” And “They wear masks and gloves. Everything is left very clean and tidy when they go.”

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Staff involved people in planning, including when changes happened. The registered manager undertook audits to ensure staff administered medicines in line with national guidance and the prescriber’s instructions. The electronic care planning system was set up to flag where medicine administration had not been completed which allowed the registered manager full oversight. People and their family members were assured staff supported them safely with medicines. A family member told us how Alina Homecare Horsham were supporting their loved one to remain safe, and described how the management team and staff worked with their relative to come up with a way of supporting them with their medicines which was personal to them. The registered manager had introduced strategies to support this person and staff confirmed actions they took to mitigate risks.