UniqCare Islington

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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated Good.

This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 75 (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.

The provider recorded any incidents, accidents or other events that affected people and the day-to-day operation of the service. No serious or significant events had been recorded in the last twelve months. There was guidance for care staff, which we saw was re-iterated in staff meetings, about what to do to report events and other concerns. The provider audited the accident, and incident reports and kept a record of any emerging themes or trends and to take any actions that may be identified.

A care worker told us “I have been given regular opportunities to learn about my work through training.” Another care worker told us I have had “PEG training, supervision and discussions with my manager. We do reflect on things that happen while providing care, including what went well and what could be improved. I believe this helps me learn from experiences and improve the quality and safety of the care I provide to our clients always.”

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 provider carried out an assessment of needs as a part of their consideration into whether they could provide care for people referred to the service. These assessments explored people’s needs, not only their physical and emotional support needs, but their overall needs. The assessments described each person’s lifestyle, how they chose to live, their living situation and their preferences for being supported with their care.

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.

The safeguarding policy and guidance for care staff described what action staff should take if concerns arose. If concerns did arise the provider worked with partner agencies to investigate and resolve concerns.

A person using the service told us, “Yes I feel safe.”

A care worker told us, “I have received safeguarding training, online and in-person workshops.” Another told us,“I have received safeguarding training, including training on recognising and reporting signs of abuse or harm to any client. If I have any concerns about someone’s safety or wellbeing, I must report them promptly to my manager and follow the safeguarding procedure. These include reaching out to local London borough council's safeguarding team.”

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.

Risk assessments were carried out an encompassed not only general risks but also those associated with people’s specific care and support needs. These included moving and handling, accessing the community and managing situations that a person may find stressful. Risk assessments were clear and described the particular area being assessed, what care staff should pay attention to and measures that were needed to manage the risk safely. Risk assessments were reviewed at regular intervals but could also be reviewed if a situation arose that highlighted potential change to a specific risk. A person using the service said“Yes and they keep me safe.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

Risk assessments included consideration of people’s home environments to promote people’s safety and safety of care staff. The risk assessments covered areas such as falls risks, fire and home environment and areas in relation to the direct personal care support provided, including any specialist equipment in use such as hoists.

Comments that we received from a care worker showed that they understood potential risk for people and how to respond to risks. Care staff were confident that they supported people in their own homes that were safe.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

The provider carried out pre-employment checks including Disclosure and Barring Service checks (DBS), employment history, references and pre-employment interviews.

Care staff were usually allocated to work with specific people which helped to keep consistency of care and visits were recorded. A benefit of this was that it helped to build positive relationships between care staff and the people they were caring for.

A person using the service told us, “Yes there is enough staff to keep me safe.”

A relative told us, “Yes at all times” in relations to safe and effective staffing.

Care staff told us that they believed that there were enough staff to provide the service.

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.

The provider outlined how they adhere to infection prevention and control guidelines and care staff confirmed they had suitable supplies of personal protective equipment [PPE] and training.

A person using the service told us, “Yes always” in response to whether staff used PPE. A relative told us “Yes at all times” in relations to staff adhering to infection prevention and control and using PPE. A relative told us “Yes at all times” in relations to staff adhering to infection prevention and control and using PPE.

Care staff told us that they were provided with personal protective equipment for use when providing personal care. They said, “Yes we receive regular supplies of personal protective equipment” and “PPE is readily available whenever it is needed, and I feel we are very well supplied.”

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 provider had a policy and guidelines for care staff about the handling and management of medicines. There was training provided to staff about how to manage and administer medicines. Staff were assessed for competency to safely administer medicines,

A relative of a person using the service said, " We manage the medicine [for relative] and care staff supp[ort us with recording and making sure it is done correctly."

Some people, but not all, required care staff support to manage and take their medicines. We viewed the monthly medication administration audits for these people since May 2026. These demonstrated that the service kept oversight regarding the safe handling and administration of people’s medicines. We did note that staff were often ticking the date and time of administration rather than using their initials. We raised this with the provider who told us that staff would be instructed to do this as they had reminded staff to do so.

A care worker told us, “I am provided with training and guidance to support people with their medicines safely. Medication training is provided, with refresher training routinely monitored. Training requirements and refreshers are highlighted on our care rota system to make sure staff remain up to date. This is an important part of safe care, and I feel we are well supported in this area.”