S-Rock Care Services 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 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. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

Systems were in in place to identify incidents, concerns and near misses, and these were reviewed to establish lessons learned. This meant the provider had a learning culture and used lessons learned to improve the service.

Staff told us they knew how to report incidents and felt able to raise concerns. This demonstrated an open culture within 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. Leaders ensured information was provided to other healthcare services to ensure people’s needs were met. Leaders also explained they ensured people’s care plans were still current following a hospital discharge. They told us, “Medicines sometimes change following people being admitted to hospital, so we do a care plan review following hospital admission.”

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. Relatives told us people were safe and raised no concerns. Relatives were confident leaders would respond appropriately in the event of a safeguarding concern. Staff had received training in safeguarding and understood how to safeguard people. Staff told us, “I have had training in safeguarding and I am aware any safeguarding concerns are reported immediately to [leaders]”. There was a safeguarding policy for staff which outlined procedures. This included referring concerns to the local authority safeguarding team and the Care Quality Commission if required.

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 assessed, and any corresponding information was transferred to their care and support plans. Staff told us they had access to information in people’s care plans and risk assessments to help them manage people’s risks. Relatives told us they felt staff supported people to manage risks well.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Staff had completed mandatory training in health and safety and fire safety. Staff told us they received training about how to support people with any required equipment. One staff member said, “In my face-to-face training I learned and gained understanding of how to assess people’s needs and components of moving and handling and the use of a hoist.” Leaders undertook environmental risk assessments in line with their health and safety policy. The service had a business continuity plan which outlined actions to take following emergency situations.

The provider did not always ensure staff were recruited safely. Pre employment checks were not always in line with the legal requirements. We identified gaps in 3 staff member’s employment history. This meant the provider could not be fully assured that all staff employed were suitable to work with people using the service. We raised this with leaders, who told us staff had now been asked to provide a full employment history.

Other checks had been completed to ensure staff were suitable for the role, including a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This is a check which helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.Staff had completed the mandatory training required for their roles and checks were made to ensure they were competent to provide effective care. Additional training had been sought where required for some health conditions, but there was no formal training for staff for 2 other specific health conditions, and the service was supporting people with these conditions at the time of the inspection. Leaders told us they had now enrolled staff on to these training courses.

Systems were in place to ensure people’s care visits were made on time.

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 control. Relatives told us staff wore PPE where appropriate and that staff supported people to have a clean environment. There was a policy for Infection Control which was in line with best practice guidelines and legislation.

The provider did not always make sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. People received their medicines as prescribed and there was a clear policy which outlined procedures. Staff had received training in the administration of medicines which included a check of their competency. However, some people did not have mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions where appropriate for the administration of medicines. We raised this with leaders who told us they would address this.