SRP 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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 69 (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. However, lessons were not always learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

The registered manager and staff prioritised safety, fostering an open culture where concerns and incidents were actively reported. Staff felt genuinely empowered to raise issues, expressing confidence in leadership. This open environment was supported by effective training, which enabled staff to spot early signs of physical or cognitive decline. Highlighting this proactive approach, one staff member explained, "If I had concerns about [Name's] immediate safety, I’d follow the appropriate procedure and seek advice from the relevant healthcare professional or emergency service." Another added, "I would report an incident to the appropriate person and make sure it was documented properly [and] followed through."

However, the service lacked a robust system for collective learning and trend analysis. While the registered manager responded to individual incidents quickly and transparently, wider lessons were historically limited to individual staff supervisions. Incidents were not consistently analysed for broader themes and trends, nor were they discussed as a team to drive continuous improvement and prevent future recurrence.

In response to our inspection feedback, the registered manager took immediate action to bridge this gap, introducing virtual staff meetings to foster team-wide, collaborative learning.

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.

Comprehensive pre-admission assessments were completed before any support commenced. The registered manager demonstrated how these holistic evaluations integrated input from the individual, their families, and health and social care professionals. As the registered manager explained, "Before we begin supporting someone, we carry out a thorough assessment to make sure we can fully meet their individual needs and choices." This robust process ensured that care was planned effectively, with potential risks identified and mitigated from the outset.

Staff were knowledgeable about the specific safety needs of the people they cared for. One staff member confirmed, "Before my first visit, I had the opportunity to read the care plan and familiarise myself with the customer's needs and how they should be supported." Staff also described how regular reviews ensured care records remained accurate, up to date, and responsive to people's evolving requirements.

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.

While the registered manager appropriately investigated concerns and raised safeguarding alerts with the local authority, they occasionally failed to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as required. Registered providers must inform the CQC of all incidents affecting the health, safety, and welfare of service users, including any allegations of abuse. Following our inspection, the registered manager agreed to submit the outstanding notifications retrospectively.

Staff were confident in identifying signs of abuse and understood how to report safeguarding concerns. They knew how to escalate issues to outside agencies if they felt the service was not responding appropriately. A staff member explained, "If I had a concern, I would report it through the correct safeguarding procedure. I wouldn’t investigate it myself or ignore it."

Regular safeguarding training ensured staff knew how to keep people safe. This was reflected in feedback from families; one relative told us, "[Name] is definitely safe with the staff," and noted that whenever they raised an issue, they felt confident it was effectively addressed.

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.

Risks were assessed and managed with the direct involvement of the person being supported and/or their advocate where appropriate, balancing personal choice with physical safety. Pre-admission evaluations captured people's preferences, ensuring their voices shaped their care before support commenced. These assessments were translated into care plans that provided staff with clear guidance to deliver safe and responsive support.

Risk-positive profiles were person-centred and regularly reviewed alongside the person being supported. Notably, they documented potential triggers for health deterioration alongside the unique ways each person preferred their warning signs to be monitored. This collaborative approach empowered people to maintain their own safety and well-being while actively pursuing hobbies and social activities they enjoyed.

The registered manager maintained oversight of these risk records through regular quality assurance checks. However, the internal audits had not identified some minor errors in care records we found during our inspection. The registered manager responded immediately to our findings, taking swift action during the inspection process, to fully rectify the identified concerns.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

Comprehensive environmental risk assessments were completed for each property to ensure a safe care environment. These evaluations effectively identified hazards, such as trip risks or inadequate lighting, and established robust control measures to protect both staff and people using the service.

Staff clearly understood their responsibility to maintain safe surroundings, promptly escalating any property or equipment issues to management. The registered manager was responsive to these reports, ensuring that maintenance concerns and environmental risks were addressed swiftly to prevent accidents or injury.

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 recruitment and training practices were maintained, however, historical gaps in employment had not always been thoroughly investigated during the initial vetting. The registered manager took immediate action to amend and complete these records before our inspection concluded.

New employees were recruited safely. The provider consistently obtained Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks before staff started work. The DBS check is a mandatory pre-employment vetting process designed to help employers make safer recruitment decisions by identifying individuals who may be unsuitable to work with vulnerable adults. Once in post, staff completed a comprehensive induction and received regular training updates to maintain their skills. Additionally, shadow shifts gave new employees sufficient time to understand people’s unique needs.

Management monitored staff through regular supervisions and competency assessments. However, further refinement was needed to ensure all post-supervision actions were fully documented. Issues repeatedly raised during spot checks and subsequently discussed in supervision, did not always have a clear, recorded outcome or evidence of follow-up.

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.

The service maintained safe infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, and we identified no areas of concern. Safe systems were in place to protect people from the risk of infection. The registered manager ensured that staff completed IPC training and had consistent access to personal protective equipment (PPE), which they used appropriately during care delivery. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of their role in reducing healthcare-associated infections, ensuring that care was delivered in line with current best practice guidance.

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.

Governance and audit processes were in place to maintain oversight of medicine records. The registered manager conducted regular audits of Medication Administration Records (MARs) to promptly identify and address any gaps or errors. This oversight ensured people received their medicines safely and exactly as prescribed.

Staff followed established procedures, and the registered manager immediately updated care plans following any prescription changes to keep the team fully informed. Staff completed regular training and competency assessments, demonstrating a thorough approach that included waiting to ensure medicines were successfully taken.

People and their relatives expressed levels of confidence in how medicines were managed. One relative shared, “[Name] gets their medication in the right way and at the right time,” while another noted, "We are very happy, we are able to see the medication notes every day from the carer."