Essential Homecare Ltd

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 81 (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 strong, 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 strong oversight of safety and had a clear commitment to a positive learning culture.Accidents and incidents were reviewed regularly to understand underlying causes, identify patterns and implement strategies to prevent repeat occurrences.

The risk of falls was monitored closely and reviewed frequently. The provider recognised, multiple falls significantly increased the likelihood of injury and hospital admission,and responded by introducing a structured, three‑tier risk rating system. People assessed as highest risk received more frequent reviews, timely referrals to specialist falls‑management teams, and safeguarding referrals where appropriate to ensure they remained safe in their own homes.

Learning from accidents and incidents was shared openly with staff through team meetings and supervision, supporting wider organisational learning. This ensured staff understood emerging risks, reflected on practice, and consistently applied learning to improve the safety and quality of care.

Leaders fostered a psychologically safe environment where staff felt able to report mistakes without fear. Leaders told us, “When people make mistakes here, no one ever gets screamed at or shouted at… being open and honest is celebrated.” Staff were coached through difficult situations to improve competence when learning from safety incidents. Staff told us, they felt safe and supported and learning opportunities were not punitive events.Leaders told us, “When people make mistakes here, no one ever gets screamed at or shouted at… being open and honest is celebrated.” Staff were coached through difficult situations to improve competence when learning from safety incidents. Staff told us, they felt safe and supported and learning opportunities were not punitive events.
 

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.

Staff worked closely with health and social care professionals to share information promptly, plan support effectively and maintain continuity when people moved between services, including hospital admissions or changes in their needs. Risks were identified early and managed proactively, supported by clear processes for reporting concerns and ensuring people’s immediate safety.

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 being supported by the staff team and were confident they knew how to raise any concerns with leaders, staff or external professionals, including the local safeguarding team. All staff completed safeguarding training at induction and regular refreshers, and there were clear reporting pathways, supported by 24/7 on‑call arrangements which ensured concerns could be escalated promptly. A safeguarding log was maintained for oversight, even when no referrals were required. One person told us, “I have never had a concern to raise. If I need to say something I either tell the care worker and they get it sorted or I talk to someone in the office. They are all lovely people.”

Leaders personally attended people’s homes should any concerns be raised, even when issues were low‑level. This ensured the provider maintained an open dialogue with people and their families, strengthened trust, and enabled concerns to be resolved quickly and compassionately through direct, face‑to‑face reassurance.

Staff told us, “Safeguarding to me means protecting our clients from any risk of harm, abuse or neglect and to keep them safe from this. If we do see risks to report this to a senior or manager and document everything.”

Staff received training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).Capacity was considered during assessments and reviews, with staff supporting people to make their own decisions wherever possible and documenting best-interests decisionswhen required. This ensured people’s rights, choice and control were upheld while maintaining a strong safeguarding culture.

The provider always worked well with people to fully understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care that fully met people’s needs and was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

The provider demonstrated strong person‑centred risk management by exploring the underlying causes of a person’s change in behaviour. For example, when a person presented with increased distress, staff did not attribute this solely to behaviour but considered wider factors affecting the person’s health and wellbeing; through observation, discussion and review of care records, the provider identified the person had experienced reduced bowel movements and was not maintaining a healthy diet. Leaders recognised these factors were likely contributing to discomfort and distress, which in turn affected the person’s behaviour. The provider took appropriate action to address the underlying issue, supporting the person to improve their bowel health and nutritional intake and liaising with the person’s family.

Risk assessments were recorded and provided structured, person‑centred guidance on the specific risks people faced and the actions staff must take to minimise them. Risks relating to mobility, continence, dementia, falls skin integrity, medication safety and environmental layout were identified, with clear instructions for staff to monitor people’s health, support transfers, administer medication safely and encourage independence.

We reviewed risk assessments which were comprehensive for managing the risk of falls, and detailed environmental checks, falls risks linked to fluctuating blood pressure, skin fragility, visual impairment and the need for support when navigating their home. Mitigation measures were clearly recorded, such as ensuring breakfast was eaten before getting up to reduce dizziness.

Staff were aware of who was at risk of falls and knew what action to take should they find someone had fallen. A staff member told us, “I would check them (person) over to make sure they aren't hurt. If they are hurt and need medical assistance, I would call 999. I would also call the duty line and document the incident.”

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 assessed people’s home environments to ensure they were safe for both the person and the staff team. This included checking there was sufficient space to carry out moving and handling taskssafely and confirming smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarmswere present and functioning. These checks helped ensure risks within the home were identified early and staff could deliver care safely and confidently.

The provider ensured the office environment used by the home care agency was safe, secure and well maintained.They worked closely with the building owners to confirm fire, electrical and gas safety inspectionshad been completed and remained up to date. Regular checks were carried out on the building’s emergency systems and security arrangements, ensuring the premises were safe for staff to attend and work from.

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 required pre‑employment checks completed to ensure they were suitable to support vulnerable people. New staff received a comprehensive inductionand had access to a wide range of training to equip them for their roles.

Training was delivered by qualified external instructors, including St John Ambulance, and several senior staff had completed 'Train‑the‑trainer’ qualifications in moving and handling, basic life support and medication administration. This enabled the service to provide regular in-house training, refreshers and competency updates,ensuring staff maintained safe practice.

A staff member told us, “I carried out online training which consisted of 45 different modules covering all areas of care for the care certificate and before this we had the face-to-face training during induction, including moving and handling, first aid, administering medications and our roles and responsibilities, safeguarding, going through all policies and procedures, duty of care, nutrition and liquid intake, mental capacity and fires.”

Staff also received additional face-to-face training in key areas such as dementia, duty of care, fluids and nutrition, and the Mental Capacity Act.This ensured staff had the knowledge and skills required to deliver safe, person‑centred care.

Staff received regular supervision and annual appraisal,which supported their ongoing development and ensured their practice remained safe and effective. The provider also carried out unannounced spot checks during personal care visits, enabling them to directly observe staff practice and gather feedback from people. Feedback obtained during these visits was discussed in staff supervision, and used to highlight area's for improvement, reinforce good practice and recognise staff achievements.

People told us they felt staff were trained well. One person said, “Their training is exceptional. They do a lot of training.”

People received support from regular staff who they knew well. Comments included, “They call 5 times a day and have been coming for 2 years. They (staff) are always on time and each time, tell us who will be coming on the next call,” and “They (staff) always stay the allocated time and even sit and talk to my grandma. I don’t have to worry about her. They hold her hand and chat with her.”

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 of infection through safe working practices and effective oversight. Staff received regular infection control training and demonstrated a good understanding of hand hygiene, the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and how to prevent cross contamination during care tasks. Spot checks and supervisions reinforced safe practice, and staff had access to appropriate PPE at all times. The provider carried out environmental risk assessments, including checks on cleanliness, waste disposal and safe storage of equipment, ensuring home environments supported infection prevention.
 

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.

Medication was managed safely; staff provided full administration support to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff understood each person’s needs and any factors affecting safe medicines administration, such as difficulties with vision, hearing or dexterity, and supported people who may forget doses due to cognitive impairment.
Medicines were stored in people’s homes in line with their preferences, and where storage was not secure, staff advised families on safer alternatives to reduce the risk of tampering or confusion. Staff told us they had received both e-learning and face to face training on medicines and they were confident to administer medicines safety.