GoodOaks Homecare - Sussex South

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 72 (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.

People and relatives told us they were confident to raise safety concerns with staff and leaders. Staff understood their responsibilities for reporting accidents and incidents. Records demonstrated leaders had investigated concerns and taken appropriate actions. The provider had developed a positive culture where learning from incidents was shared with staff 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 were supported to access other services when needed. A person said, “[Staff] take me to appointments. I recently went to hospital and staff supported me.” People’s care plans included information about the key services and professionals involved in their care and support. Staff liaised with people, their families and health professionals, where needed, to ensure people’s needs were safely supported. Feedback from external professionals about staff and leaders was positive. A professional said, “I have liaised on many occasions with [leader]. We have a clear method of communication to enable a smooth transition with our services. We can contact each other when at work with no issues.”

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 said they felt safe with staff. The provider had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies in place. Staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding. Where they had concerns, they had raised these appropriately meaning action could be taken if required. A staff member said, “I feel able and confident to raise concerns to management. I have regular training on safeguarding.” The provider shared events with appropriate external agencies quickly and had documented actions taken.

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 and relatives told us staff were competent in supporting them to manage everyday risks related to their care. These included risks associated with medical conditions and medicines. Potential risks to people’s health and welfare had been assessed. For example, for people at risk of falls, choking or pressure damage. A relative said, “[Staff] are keeping her safe as she has not had any falls. They always leave her [mobility equipment] at hand.” Staff understood how to support people safely. A staff member said, “The care plans and risk assessments have all the information on there. I have never arrived for a call and not had all the information available to me. It allows me to manage risks safely.”

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 maintain their home environment in line with their wishes. Leaders carried out assessments of risk in people’s homes. Risk assessments contained specific information about internal and external environmental risks and fire safety, including information on where gas, electric or water supplies were. People’s risk assessments and care plans included guidance for staff on the use of equipment required for the delivery of safe personal care.

The provider made sure there were enough staff to support people safely. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. However, not all staff had received effective support, supervision and development.

Staff were recruited safely and pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure they were safe to work with people. However, the provider had identified some quality issues in the service for safe and effective staffing. They had a service improvement plan which had initially focused on stabilising the service to ensure consistent staffing levels and that people received safe care. Feedback from people, relatives and staff demonstrated these actions had worked. People told us they received continuity of care from the same group of staff who were usually punctual and were familiar with their personal care needs, wishes and daily routines.A person told us, “I have a small group of carers who I know well. I don’t like male staff visiting me and they know that, so they don’t send them anymore.” A relative said, “We have a group of people who look after her. [Staff] have got to know her well. She has become very fond of her carers. Recently the service has taken in new staff, so we now have more carers who look after her. They are all great, really lovely.”

The provider told us they had also identified gaps in staff training, supervision, support and development, and had an action plan in place. For example, one improvement included developing a training matrix to reduce the potential for gaps in staff training. Staff told us they felt supported by leaders and felt positive about the improvements being made. Records evidenced leaders were taking appropriate actions, but this required time to be completed and fully embedded in the service.

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 used personal protective equipment (PPE). Where people had specific clinical health tasks, care plans contained clear guidance about what PPE to use when providing support. Systems were in place to ensure staff had adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE).There were infection prevention and control policies and procedures in place.

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 received their medicines safely and in line with their preferences. Care plans had clear guidance around how people’s medicines should be administered safely, including any side effects staff should be mindful of. Staff had received medication administration training and understood what actions to take if they had concerns. Leaders audited medicines and took appropriate actions to remedy issues quickly.