United Homecare Ltd

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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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. For example, incidents were reviewed for any trends to prevent similar incidents occurring. The registered manager told us that learning had already been taken from this assessment to be shared across the team.

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. A person confirmed this by saying, “This is a good service, (registered manager), is always looking at ways to make sure I have everything I need. (They) even went to the GP to pick up a prescription that I had outstanding.” Staff said information was shared with them via a team ‘whatsapp’ group and by telephone if it was an important update.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from harassment, abuse and neglect. The service shared concerns appropriately. People told us they felt safe with the staff. One person said, “I have no worries about staff keeping me safe. If even something small changes they always tell (registered manager) and my daughter.” Staff received training in safeguarding and knew what to do if they suspected abuse including how to contact the police or the local authority to keep people safe. Safeguarding training was discussed during team meetings and supervisions to gage staff understanding of the training received.

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. Risks to people's individual health and wellbeing were assessed and action taken to minimise those risks. Where risks were identified, people's care records described the actions staff should take to minimise them. However, we found that staff who supported a person with Diabetes did not receive training in diabetes. Staff knew the risks involved and were able to identify symptoms of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. The registered manager arranged training for all staff during our assessment.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in people’s home. The provider completed environmental risk assessments to check if it was safe for staff to carry out care in a safe environment. This included checks around fire safety. We saw detailed instructions for staff within care plans stating how to ensure kitchen utensils were put away safely.

The provider made sure there were always enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received thorough support and supervision. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. The registered manager had tried to ensure they matched the staff’s skills and experience to the needs of the people they were supporting. However, staff did not have training in diabetes as it was not within the induction training package. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of diabetes and the registered manager ensured staff had access to this training following our inspection. All other mandatory and individual needs training was included. A person said, “I love (name of carers), it’s always people who know me and understand me. Even when it’s not time for my call, if I call (registered manager), they always make sure to help me.” The provider completed safe recruitment checks to make sure staff were suitable to care for people safely.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. People and relatives told us that staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Audits by the registered manager of observed staff practice showed staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Staff confirmed they had completed training and always had access to supplies of PPE.

The provider did not always make sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Some improvement to ensuring that body-maps were created for topical creams was required to support staff to apply medicines safely and as prescribed. Following our site visit, the registered manager had created body maps and evidence was provided. Staff received medication administration training and had their competency assessed.