Britz Health Care 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 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. There was a learning culture in the organisation and accidents and incidents were recorded and analysed appropriately. Lessons learned from accidents, incidents and complaints were identified and shared with the staff team to support continuous improvement 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 needs were assessed before they started using the service. People and their representatives were involved in the assessment process. This helped to ensure the provider had enough information to enable them to meet people’s needs. When people’s needs changed, timely referrals were made to community health and care professionals to ensure the correct care and support was in place, this included requesting additional support if required.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way this could be achieved. 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. There were appropriate policies and processes in place to keep people safe from harm and abuse. People told us they felt safe with the members of staff who supported them. A family member said, “I am very happy with the service my [relative] is getting from [the provider] and I think they are very safe with them." Members of staff knew their responsibilities to protect people from harm and they were aware of the procedure to follow if they identified any concerns or if any information of concern was disclosed to them. For example, a member of staff told us, "If I suspected abuse, I would ensure the person was not at risk, report all concerns to the on-call or manager as quickly as possible and document accurately by creating an incident report." 

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs which was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things which mattered to them. Risks to people were assessed and management plans were in place to inform staff how to reduce and manage risks to maintain people’s safety. For example, we saw risk assessments were in place for people who were had epilepsy. Risk assessments gave guidance to staff on how best to support people in different situations. A member of staff told us, "I manage risks associated with people's care and support through a combination of a thorough assessment, person-centred planning, proactive communication and on-going review by the management team.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Risks associated with the care environment and people's home were assessed and recorded. The provider communicated with the local community equipment service to ensure compliance checks were carried out on equipment in people’s homes in line with industry standards and guidelines. A member of staff told us how they ensured equipment was safe for people, “[I would] report any safeguarding concerns to the line manager and create an incident. For instance, when using equipment like a hoist, I would ensure there is a service tag which is in date indicating it is safe to use and there was no wear and tear on slings and slide sheets."

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 which met people’s individual needs. Members of staff were recruited safely. New starters received a detailed induction into the organisation along with a range of training courses which enabled them to provide care and support safely. A review of staffing rotas and deployment of members of staff confirmed there were sufficient, well-trained staff to provide safe care and support to people. People and their families told us they were happy with the members of staff who provided care and support. One family member told us, "[Relative] knows the carers and they do talk to [relative] but they find communication tricky because [relative] is hard of hearing.” A person told us, "I have a team of about 10 people and I know everyone who comes. The [provider] always introduce new carers if things change. [The provider] brings the new carer with a carer I know."

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. Risk assessments for infection prevention and control (IPC) were included in people’s care plans. There were policies and processes in place for members of staff to follow to ensure the risk of cross-infections was minimised. Members of staff attended IPC training. One member of staff told us, “I have had mandatory training about infection prevention and control." They also confirmed they had access to supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), “Yes, we are given PPE. We have extra in our cars and we can collect more from the office at any time."

The provider made sure medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Staff involved people in planning, including when changes happened. The administration of medications was managed safely. Policies and processes were in place to support the safe administration of medications and regular, in-depth audits of medication administration were carried out by a member of the management team. A family member told us, "[Provider] does medication calls. [Relative] has to take regular medication or they could be hospitalised and the [care staff] are really good with understanding that and doing it. The [care staff] have pulled [relative] back to living a proper life.” Members of staff confirmed they knew what to do in the event of a medication administration error. One staff member told us, "Depending on the type of the error that happens, the person's welfare is top priority. If, for example, it was anaphylaxis, I act accordingly. If any other reaction happens, I tell the person about the error and call the emergency services straight away. When the person is safe, I call the next of kin (with permission from the person) to inform them, call the office/on-call to make them aware of the incident in case they need to cover my other calls while I attend to the affected person. In cases where I discover an error by another staff member, I check the well-being of the person, inform them about the error, for example, a morning medication given the previous night, call the person who made the error, get advice from the pharmacist or GP during working hours and 111 out of hours on what to do because I will have to assist the person at that time. The next of kin is informed (with consent), the office/on-call and for any error, I will then complete a medication error incident form."