Priocare Health Solutions Ltd - Harrow

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.

Safe

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 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.

People received safe care from the registered manager and staff who had a positive learning culture within this home care service. They understood the importance of reporting safety concerns and learning lessons when things went wrong. Systems were in place to support staff to report and record concerns when they arose, incidents and concerns that did occur were investigated and any lessons learnt were shared with staff and used to continually improve the service.

Staff felt well supported in their roles and spoke positively about the management and leadership of the service.

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.

People’s care plans included information about the services and professionals involved in their care and support. Staff liaised with families and health professionals, where appropriate, to ensure people’s needs were safely supported.

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 told us they felt safe receiving a home care service from the provider and with the staff who regularly visited them at home.A relative said, “The registered manager visits often, and I trust staff when they are here, I know I can leave them to the support [family member].”

Staff received training in safeguarding, they understood their roles and responsibilities in ensuring people were safe and in reporting any incidents. The registered manager understood their duty to report safeguarding concerns to the Local Authority when they arose, and to provide required notifications to the CQC.

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.

Assessments undertaken to identify risks to people’s safety and determine the level of care they required were in place. Risk management plans developed supported people and mitigated risks to their safety. These covered areas such as personal hygiene, medicines, mobility, nutrition and risks related to their long term health conditions.

People and their relatives were involved in assessing and managing risks, which helped to minimise the risk of avoidable harm. Relatives commented, “The provider monitors and anticipates potential risks involving [family member] and escalates appropriately.”

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 provider carried out assessments of risk in people’s home environments. People’s risk assessments and care plans included guidance for staff on the safe use of equipment required for the delivery of safe personal care.

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 on prospective staff. These included proof of the right to work in the UK, employment references and criminal records checks.

Staff were provided with regular, relevant training to support them in their roles, and they said they were well supported by the management team to learn and continuously improve their working practices. Staff told us about the training they had received, how it helped them to deliver support and were knowledgeable about the areas they received training in. The management team told us the service staffing levels were regularly reviewed to make sure there were always enough staff to meet people’s needs. There were systems in place for the provider to identify and monitor staff training requirements and ensure they remained relevant and up to date.

Training records demonstrated that staff received courses relevant to support them to meet a range of people’s needs. Training was refreshed at regular intervals so that staff stayed up to date with current practice. A staff member said, “We complete shadowing and training in all areas required before we work independently.”

Staff were well supported by the management team during individual supervision, and appraisals of their overall work performance. They were able to discuss their job roles to continuously learn and improve their working practice.

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. Infection prevention and control procedures were in place. Staff received training to help them maintain good standards of infection control.

The manager ensured staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and used it consistently, helping to reduce the risk of infection and ensure people were supported safely. Spot checks, supervision, team meetings, and regular communication were used to monitor and maintain consistent compliance with PPE use. A staff member said, “We have PPE and have infection control training.”

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 policies in place to manage the safe administration of medicines. People’s medication administration record (MAR) charts were completed appropriately and audited and reviewed by the registered manager.

Staff received medicines training and felt confident they could support people with medicines. Information about people's medicines was included in people’s care plans. Staff competency checks were carried out for staff who supported people with medicines. A relative told us, “[family member’s] have clear instructions if the manager was in doubt she would require a doctor’s input, they always adhere to medicines and changing needs.”