Help at Home 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 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 demonstrated a strong learning culture through systems for recording, analysing, and learning from incidents. Incidents were reviewed, with contributing factors such as environmental hazards, changes in people’s health or mobility, and cognitive needs considered to ensure a holistic approach to preventing recurrence. We saw an example of how a person’s care had changed following a fall and appropriate measures were put in to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Staff understood how to report incidents and described an open, honest environment where they felt confident raising any concerns. Relatives confirmed they were informed promptly about any incidents and the strategies put in place to reduce future risks, reflecting a transparent and improvement‑focused culture. A relative said, “When [relative] mobility lessened and they had some falls the manager took it onboard straight away.”

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 had effective systems in place to ensure people experienced safe and well‑coordinated care across their care journeys. Staff worked collaboratively with a range of health and social care professionals. For example, the service participated in the GP Connect service. GP Connect is an NHS service that allows authorised health and care professionals to securely accessimportant informationfrom a person’s GP record.

Safety was prioritised, with a strong awareness of risks at each stage of people’s pathways, including initial assessments and referrals to other services. Risks were identified and managed proactively, and the effectiveness of these processes was monitored to maintain people’s safety. Care and support were planned with people and their representatives and healthcare professionals, to promote continuity and ensure that any transitions were well‑organised.

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.

Safeguarding was central to the way the provider delivered care and support. Staff explained, there were clear communication channels and well‑established processes for escalating any concerns promptly. Records seen confirmed this. A member of staff said, “If I were ever to suspect abuse, I would escalate immediately. This could be directly to [manager], who is always available at the end of the phone, or to the local authority if the concern was serious. I feel fully confident that any safeguarding concern raised with [manager] would be acted upon without delay.”

People and relatives told us they felt safe with care staff in their homes, and feedback reflected confidence, reassurance and trust in the care they received. A person said, “They always make sure I’m comfortable and supported with the things I struggle to do myself.”

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.

Care plans had personalised guidance for staff on how best to support people to minimise risks to their safety. People consistently told us that staff knew them exceptionally well. They were regularly involved in reviews of their care and had confidence in staff’s skills to support them safely. A person said, “The service has always been supportive and responsive.” Another person said, “They help me keep my independence by supporting me with the things I need help with.”

Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe and told us how they involved people in their care. Staff received clear, up to date information about people’s risks and any safeguarding needs.

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 were supported to keep their environment safe. The provider took appropriate steps to identify, assess and manage risks within and around people’s homes. Care plans contained environmental risk assessments. They included vital information such as where to shut off gas, electric or water in the event of an emergency.

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.

Staff were recruited safely, with all appropriate pre‑employment checks completed before they began working for the organisation. New staff received an induction and ongoing training to ensure they had the skills and confidence to carry out their roles effectively.

Staff told us they received regular support and were able to develop within the role. A member of staff said, “I receive regular supervisions, and [manager] often carries out spot checks and medication checks during customer visits. Both [manager] and [deputy manager] are always available and approachable.”

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 told us staff supported them in ways that promoted good infection prevention and control. A person said, “They always make sure everything is done properly before they leave.” Staff received training in infection control and were familiar with the provider’s infection control policies. They had access to appropriate personal protective equipment and used it correctly to reduce the spread of infection.

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 were supported with taking their medicine if their assessment had identified this was an area of need. A person said, “They make sure I get the help I need with my medication.” Another person said, “I recently had to go on some other medication and asked the manager if it was alright for the carers to do it. They all agreed and helped me with it.”

Care staff maintained a record of people's medicines which included the amount received and when medicines should be taken. Where people received a medicine as required (PRN) there was clear person-centred guidance to support staff with administering appropriately.

Care staff were trained to administer medication safely and received regular checks of their competency.