Treasuring Care

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 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 positive culture of safety and understood the importance of learning and improvement. There were clear policies and procedures in place for reporting and managing accidents and incidents, together with recording tools to support investigation and learning when required. Although there had not been any accidents or incidents since the service started operating, systems were in place to identify concerns, capture information and promote safe practice. During feedback, the provider demonstrated an understanding of the need to monitor care and use information to embed improvements as the service develops.

The provider worked with people, relatives and healthcare professionals to support safe transitions between services. There was a hospital discharge policy and a discharge reporting form to ensure relevant information could be recorded and shared. The registered manager described how care plans would be reviewed and updated to reflect changing needs and how communication with relatives and professionals would help maintain continuity of care. They demonstrated an understanding of the importance of involving people in decisions about their care and ensuring information was shared safely and appropriately to minimise disruption during transitions.

The provider had safeguarding systems in place to help protect people from abuse and harm. There were clear safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures, together with reporting documentation to record concerns where required. Although there had been no safeguarding incidents since the service commenced, staff guidance and processes were available should concerns arise. Feedback from a relative was positive and indicated they felt their family member was safe and well cared for.

People were supported to manage risks while maintaining their independence. Care records included individual risk assessments covering areas such as nutrition and falls, with guidance for staff about how identified risks should be managed. Risk assessments reflected the person's level of need and contained proportionate measures to reduce the likelihood of avoidable harm. Feedback from relatives was positive and raised no concerns regarding risk management. The provider demonstrated an understanding of balancing safety with supporting people to continue activities that were important to them.

Systems were in place to identify and manage environmental risks. Environmental considerations formed part of the provider's risk assessment process and documentation included sections to record hazards within people's homes. Risk assessment tools supported staff to identify potential environmental risks and ensure safe care delivery. The provider had arrangements in place to review risks and respond appropriately should concerns be identified.

The provider had arrangements in place to ensure staff had the skills and knowledge required to provide safe care. At the time of assessment, the registered manager was the only staff member delivering care. They provided evidence of a range of completed training and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. However, the registered manager could not provide evidence of completion of moving and handling training within the last year. She completed the online version of this training before the end of our assessment and agreed to complete the face-to-face component as soon as possible.

The provider had processes in place to assess and manage infection risks. There was a clear infection prevention and control policy and procedure to guide staff in maintaining safe standards of hygiene and reducing the risk of infection transmission.

People received support to manage their medicines safely. The provider had a medicines policy and procedure in place to guide practice. Arrangements reflected the person's individual circumstances. The person's relative administered medicines, while the registered manager checked medicines had been taken and maintained records to confirm this. Policies, procedures and monitoring arrangements supported safe medicines management and helped ensure people received their medicines as intended.