Care Pilot 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. 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. All staff were clear about how to report concerns, record on the electronic system the provider used, and had confidence that the provider would address any concerns and make improvements. One staff member described the process they followed and told us, “I actually found a client on the floor we reported for an ambulance, there was a quick response from the company and ambulance team, it was good. I am very confident they [provider] would act swiftly and make any improvements.”

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. We saw evidence of communication between the management and care staff team and other health care professionals to ensure continuity of care. This included contact with people’s GP, an occupational therapist and other professionals. One relative we spoke with explained that the care staff were aware of their loved one’s health conditions and responded promptly when there were any concerns. They said, ““If the carer ever spots anything that concerns her, she calls me direct. The other day she was very concerned about [relative]. She phoned the GP and then myself. She is another pair of ears and eyes.”

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, and avoidable harm. Staff had received safeguarding training and were aware of signs to be alert to in cases of different types of abuse. Staff felt confident reporting concerns and placed people’s welfare as a priority. One staff member said, “Certainly our main goal is to make sure our clients are safe and happy so I would not hesitate [to report concerns]. I think our management really understands and they would act and not judge you and look into the case.” We saw that the provider kept clear records of any safeguarding concerns and made detailed reports to the appropriate external agency including the local authority safeguarding team and the CQC to support people to live in safety.

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. We saw that care plans identified risks which were discussed with people and relatives where appropriate when carrying out initial assessments and review processes. Care plans contained clear risk assessments and considered people’s capacity, choices and preferences. Staff had a good understanding of providing safe and enabling care and where to access information about risk. One staff member described this to us, “The system [electronic system that stores care plans and risk assessments for people] is quite self-explanatory and is easy for getting into care plans. For example, first time at a client’s house and you want to know how best to care for them, so we use the system to get to know their needs and what they want.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in people’s home environment. They made sure equipment, staff practice and number of staff providing care for individuals supported the delivery of safe care. We saw that care plans and assessment contained information which evidenced the safety of people’s home environment was considered and measures put in place to support people to live in a safe environment. Staff understood their responsibility to support people to maintain a safe environment. One staff member told us, “I use my training to ensure the safety of my clients from dangers within their households. A way I do this is to make sure that there are no objects that can trip them and also by supervising them when they are handling tasks which can be dangerous like moving from the recliner chair to the bed among other things.”

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. We reviewed staff files, training records, induction documents and supervision information. We found the provider followed safe recruitment processes and staff received ongoing training and support which ensured people received support from suitably skilled and experienced staff. One staff member told us about their experience, “I had induction for 2 weeks, including shadowing, we covered moving and handling, data protection, medication, safeguarding and other mandatory subjects. On the remaining days we were going to clients houses and the leader showed me how they operate and how individuals are supported according to their care plans.”

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. However, staff did not consistently work in line with their training and the providers policy to support infection prevention and control. One person told us they had reported a concern to the registered manager. They said, “I witnessed a carer dipping into the waste bin to retrieve packaging with cooking instructions on and then continuing to prepare the meal without changing gloves.” The provider took immediate action to address this concern. Other people had no concerns about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for example gloves and aprons. One relative told us, “The carers wear their PPE as they should and dispose of it thoughtfully.” A relative identified a concern and told us, “If there is one thing the carers could be hotter on, is spotting things in the fridge that have gone out of date and need disposing of.” We highlighted this to the registered manager to address. We saw that staff had received training regarding infection prevention and control and the use of PPE. Staff confirmed they had received training and had access to adequate supplies of PPE.

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.We saw that staff received training and had an assessment of their competency from the management team before they carried out medicines support independently. Staff confirmed this. The provider had a robust medicines policy to guide staff in line with safe practice and organisational processes. We reviewed medicines records and found they were completed in full and staff had guidance on what medicines were for and when to administer them, including as required medicines. The management team had oversight of medicines and carried out audits which identified any issues and corrective actions. The registered manager told us about the processes they follow, “Between myself and the clinical lead we do audit of MARs [medication administration records] and when we do spot checks we also check medication, what’s left in the property, do we have enough, if not why not? We address any issues we find.”