Amara Care Limited

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good.

This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm. The service had previously been in breach of the legal regulation in relation to the safe care and treatment of people they supported.

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. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

Accidents and incidents were effectively managed, and learning was used to promote safe practice. The provider had clear systems in place for recording and reporting any events that occurred. Actions arising from reviews were shared with the staff team and incorporated into people’s support plans where relevant. For example, a skin integrity care plan was completed for a person whose skin had deteriorated. Staff we spoke with agreed that incidents were investigated, lessons were shared and these were effective.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored.

The provider has recently moved onto a digital system and completed reassessments for all the people they support. This approach allowed the provider to review their pre-assessment documentation and everyone’s care and support needs. This allowed the move to a digital platform to be as smooth as possible for staff and people.

Hospital passports and treatment escalation plans were in place to support safe transfer if needed. These contained clear and detailed information about people’s needs, health conditions, medication and abilities.

Systems to safeguard people from abuse were effective and understood by staff. A safeguarding adult’s policy was in place to guide practice, and staff had completed safeguarding training.

The provider and staff had clear knowledge of their responsibility to report any signs of potential abuse. Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe and had completed safeguarding training. Furthermore, the provider had an appropriate safeguarding policy in place and had reported safeguard concerns. People and their relatives told us they felt safe living in the home.

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.

Any risks associated with people’s care were identified and this resulted in risk assessments been developed and care plans devised to support staff in managing any risks. Positive risk taking was in place, for example one person was encouraged to go to the local shop by themselves.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment.

Staff supported people to maintain a clean, tidy, and hazard-free home environment and ensured that any required repairs were reported promptly. Personal Environmental Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) were in place and highlighted people’s support needs if an evacuation was required.

One relative said, “There are no issues with the environment she lives in. It’s a nice place. It has a homely vibe to it. She has a recliner chair, ramps to get in. Handrails around her home to keep her safe."

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development.

Staff received appropriate training to ensure they could complete their role effectively. The registered manager was visible and able to step in if needed. A relative told us, “They have good care. They are respectful and caring. I’m really impressed with the staff.”

Recruitment procedures were in place to ensure pre-employment checks were carried out before staff commenced their employment. This included enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for adults. DBS checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the police national computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

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.

Staff had completed training in infection prevention and control. There was an infection control policy in place that followed best practice guidance on infection prevention, outbreaks, and personal hygiene. All the houses we visited were clean with infection prevention and control managed well. The provider had infection prevention control audits and checklists in place, and these had been consistently completed at all properties.

The provider did not always make sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences.

Medication record keeping, specifically as and when medication (PRN) was not always completed effectively. The provider had developed a new PRN medication monitoring chart however the people’s response to this medication was not always recorded to review if the medication had been effective. Since this assessment the provider has reviewed this process and updated the staff team.