Partnership Care & Support

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.

People and staff were encouraged and supported to raise concerns, they felt confident that they would be treated with compassion and understanding, and wouldn’t be blamed, or treated negatively if they did so. The registered manager and leadership team promoted a learning culture within the service. Accidents, incidents and near misses were reviewed, and the learning from them was shared with staff. This meant that leaders used learning to improve the safety of people’s care and support.

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 ensured a safe transition of people into the service. The process of transition began with the registered manager reviewing the assessments undertaken by health and social care professionals and meeting people to carrying out an initial assessment. This meant the provider established whether they were able to meet people’s needs and preferences.

As part of the transition process, the provider met with people and staff in the service they were moving from. One relative told us, “Partnership Care Support spent a few days over 5 weeks shadowing my [family member’s] previous respite provider.” During this observation phase the provider carried out risk assessments and staff established a rapport with people.

Once the service began, and the provider became the primary source for delivering people’s care and support, their needs and risks were reassessed. People, their relatives and health and social care professionals participated in this process. This meant staff remained up to date on people’s changing needs, risks and preferences.

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 were safeguarded from abuse and improper treatment. The provider had a current safeguarding policy in place. Managers and staff undertook safeguarding training to identify types and signs of abuse. Staff confirmed to us their understanding of the actions they would take should they be concerned about people’s safety and welfare.

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.

People’s risks were identified, assessed and mitigated. Staff had guidance in care records to keep people safe. One relative told us, “[family member] has engaged in their positive behaviour support plan. They have identified their own behaviours and how they should be supported at varying points of escalation. This included what staff should say to them at any given time.” This meant that people were involved in managing their risks.

Staff carried out risk assessments covering a range of general and specific areas. These included health and safety, fire safety, health needs and activities. When people’s needs and risks changed, they were supported with reassessments. This meant that people’s new and emerging risks were managed.

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

People felt safe. One person told us, “I feel safe here. It’s secure.” The provider carried out risk assessments in people’s homes and staff took action to make people’s environments safe. For example, staff removed tripping hazards and ensured that fire alarms and smoke detectors were functioning correctly. This meant people were protected from avoidable harm.

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.

People were supported by skilled and suitable staff. The provider followed robust recruitment processes to ensure staff were safe. Staff received on-going training, giving them the necessary skills and knowledge to provide care and support safely and effectively. One relative said, “Staff understand family member's complex needs well, and have been trained to respond appropriately.” Another relative told us, “I do know that specific training is being arranged to broaden their skill set.”

Staff training included mandatory training, such as first aid; personal development training, such as courses leading to qualification; and training specific to individual people, such as autism and behavioural support needs.

People received their care and support from supervised staff. The registered manager ensured that staff received regular individual and group supervision from leaders. These meetings were opportunities to discuss people’s changing needs and the support staff required to meet them. There were enough staff available at all times to support people safely.

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.

People were protected from the risk and spread of infection. Staff followed safe hygiene practices when supporting people with personal care. This included the wearing of single use, disposable gloves. Staff followed safe food hygiene practices around the storage and preparation of food. Staff received training in infection prevention and control as well as food safety.

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.

People received their medicines safely. One person told us, “I take medicine every day.” Staff were trained to administer medicines and managers observed staff to confirm their competence. People’s medicines were stored safely, and staff recorded the administration of medicines appropriately. Managers audited medicines records to confirm their completion in line with the provider’s policies and staff training.

Where people received ‘when required’ medicines, staff had clear guidance in care records. This included guidance as to the specific circumstances in which ‘when required’ medicines should be administered and the maximum number of doses permissible before seeking direction from a prescriber. People’s medicines were reviewed by GPs to ensure they remained effective and necessary.