Akash Training Agency 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 78 (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. Incidents and accidents were recorded so the registered manager could review them and take any necessary action. The provider had developed a culture of learning where accidents and incidents are investigated appropriately, and lessons learnt to improve practice.

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 care plans included information about the key services and professionals involved in their care and support. Staff liaised with families and health professionals, where appropriate, to ensure people’s needs were safely supported. Healthcare professionals such as district nurses, occupational therapists, GPs and bowel and bladder team where contacted by the service when required.

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. Staff told us they understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to report concerns. People and their relatives told us they felt safe with the support provided by staff and felt confident to raise any safety concerns with managers. One person’s relative told us, “We have absolutely no doubt that my wife is safe with [registered manager] and the team. [Registered manager] is very useful, very experienced with lots of suggestions and is really, really kind to my wife and that is all passed on to [staff].”

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. We were provided with multiple examples of rapport building which helped people to manage risks and improve their quality of lives. One person’s relative told us, “[Person] has always been reluctant to have care particularly personal care. They have gradually been building their confidence in them. They have been giving them light assistance around the house, and they have looked after them so well. [Person] is safe with them, and I can tell that they feel more confident with them and the rapport building has really helped. One example of why I feel that they are safe is that they have a habit of dialling 999 and if they do this somebody from the agency will go round immediately to see them and assess the situation and decide whether they really do need 999 service. They have been so good for example they were admitted on one occasion, and they even went to pick them up at 2:00 AM when they were being discharged from the hospital. [Person] can be very stubborn and that includes around taking medication and there are times when they refuse to take it but it's all written up on the care plan, and they document everything and keep in touch with the GP about it and continue to work on trying to build their rapport and confidence.” Another person’s relative told us, “[Registered manager] knows how to build a rapport for example originally [person] was being given their medication by [relative] but [registered manager] has been trying to say that it may be best if they take over doing this and have the medication put into a blister pack that they administer. They have got to respect [relative’s] wishes but they have tried gently to keep saying that it will be in [person’s] best interest for them to do that and about a month ago [relative] agreed to this, so their approach had worked, and they now give the medication.”

Some relatives compared the service to other homecare agencies. A relative told us, “[The previous carers] were nothing like as good as this team and in fact they pretty much left them in bed most of the time. They kept saying that they wanted to get out of bed and use the commode, but they told them just to lie in bed and do it in their pad. [Registered manager] has got them walking around the lounge and out of bed”.

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 cared for in their own homes. The provider carried out assessments of risk in people’s home environments. People’s risk assessments and care plans included guidance for staff on the safe use of equipment required for the delivery of safe personal care. The registered manager and staff regularly visited people at home. This ensured they were able to identify and mitigate any potential environmental health and safety risks people being supported might face in their own home, as well as staff who worked there. Any potential environmental concerns were discussed with the person receiving care, as the provider was mindful it was the person’s own home.

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 and pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure members of staff were safe to work with people. People told us they received continuity of care from the same group of care staff who were usually punctual and were familiar with their personal care needs, wishes and daily routines. A person told us, “I have quite regular carers, I think there are about 5 of them who come and they are all lovely and I feel very safe with all of them.” Another person’s relative told us, “Because it's the same carers who come they know how to respond to their and they feel confident in their care.”

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.

Staff had received training in infection prevention and control. The service maintained stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, aprons and masks for use by staff when providing personal care. Comprehensive policies and procedures guided staff on the actions required to prevent unnecessary transmission of disease. People told us staff always wore the appropriate PPE when being supported with personal care for example. The provider carried out spot checks on how PPE was used by members of staff and how infection prevention control (IPC) practices were implemented.

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 Administration Records [MAR] charts were completed, and stock balances tracked. Staff completed medication training, and the registered manager carried out competency and spot checks with staff. This oversight made sure people received their medication as prescribed. People and their relatives confirmed that medicines were always administered on time. A person’s relative told us, “They make a note of what to give and [registered manager] has even made a note of the order of giving them as my (relative) has an order that they particularly like.”