Afon Healthcare 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 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. Systems were in place to help the registered manager learn from any accidents, incidents and safeguarding. At the time of the assessment, no events had occurred, however the registered manager had a system to record any events that took place. They told us, when staff were recruited in the future, that any learning would then be shared with them through supervision and staff meetings.

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. Safe systems were in place to assess and monitor people’s needs. At the time of the assessment, the service only cared for 1 person. A pre assessment meeting took place with the registered manager, person and relatives. This was to ensure the person had a smooth transition with the service.

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.

Systems were in place to report and log any safeguarding concerns. At the time of the assessment no safeguarding concerns had been reported. The provider had a safeguarding adult’s policy in place, which contained the contact details of the local authority safeguarding team. The registered manager had a good awareness of how to report any safeguarding concerns. The registered manager had a safeguarding log in place, where in the future they could record any concerns that had been reported. The registered manager had undertaken safeguarding vulnerable adults training. They told us all staff that would be recruited, would receive this mandatory training as part of their induction.

People who used the service had a service user guide given to them. This contained details of how to report any concerns about their care. A relative told us, “Judging from the care my mother receives, it is safe care and a handbook was provided to us.”

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 appropriately assessed and mitigated. We looked at 1 person’s care records, which contained the appropriate risk assessments, related to their needs. Information was recorded within the person’s care records about their level of support they needed. This included how they mobilised and the support that was needed to help them access the shower. The associated risks had been assessed. The registered manager had received manual handling training. They told us when new staff were recruited, this training would be mandatory.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Environmental risk assessments were undertaken by the registered manager of people’s homes. These included checks on fire safety equipment, access routes, laundry and any home specific hazards. The risk assessments helped to keep the person and staff safe.

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. Safe staffing levels had been maintained at the service. The registered manager was the only staff member employed at the time of the assessment. Care was given to 1 person as a weekly package of care. The registered manager recorded the start and end time of the visit and duration, within the person’s care records. Since registering with the CQC no other staff had been recruited. The provider had a recruitment policy which contained information about how staff would be safely recruited. This included the application and interview process, criminal record check, references obtained and there right to work checked.

The registered manager kept a log of the training that had been undertaken. This included for example, moving and handling, safeguarding vulnerable adults, infection control, food hygiene and medicines administration. The provider had a supervision policy in place, which contained information about the frequency of supervision and appraisal meetings.

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. Systems were in place to maintain good infection control practices. The provider had Infection prevention and control (IPC) policies and procedures in place. This contained information about what staff should do to reduce the risk of infections spreading. The registered manager had undertaken IPC training and told us they understood the importance of this. The registered manager told us they wore Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when carrying out personal care tasks and stocks were maintained

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. The registered manager had received medicines training. Systems were in place to capture information about the medicines prescribed to people, in case of an emergency. At the time of the assessment the service was not administering any medicines to people.

The provider had a medicines policy in place, which included information about how to safely administer people’s medicines, store medicines and how to report any errors. Templates such as medicines administration charts and body maps were in place, ready for when the service started to administer medicines and apply creams to people. The registered manager told us, when staff were recruited, they would undertake the relevant medicines administration training and have their competency assessed.