Solace Prime Care 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 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. There were good systems and processes for recording, reviewing, and analysing accidents and incidents. The lessons learned from analysing accidents and incidents were used to support continuous improvement of 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. A clear system for registering new people into the service was in place. The process included requesting essential documentation and having a conversation with people to support the delivery of person-centred care.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way for this to be achieved. Members of 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 about safety quickly and appropriately. There were clear systems and processes in place to keep people safe and report concerns about safety. A member of staff told us, “The safeguarding and whistleblowing policies are on [the electronic care planning system] and we covered them in training. If I suspected abuse, I would keep the person safe, report it the same day to [the registered manager] or the on-call, and write down the facts in the person's words. I know it would be referred to the local authority.”

The provider followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to review people’s capacity and understanding around receiving care and support. The MCA provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The MCA requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible.

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs which was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things which mattered to them. People’s care plans were detailed and person-centred. Risks associated with people’s care needs were assessed and mitigated which ensured safe delivery of care and support.

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 in place and members of staff understood how to use equipment safely.

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 which met people’s individual needs. Processes were in place which ensured members of staff were recruited safely. The provider had a comprehensive induction programme in place for new starters which supported them to deliver care safely and in line with people’s care plans and assessed needs.

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’s care detailed how and when personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used to manage and prevent the risk of infections. The registered manager carried out audits and spot checks on the use of PPE. A member of staff told us, “PPE is always available. I have access to gloves, aprons and any other equipment required to carry out my role safely. I completed Infection Prevention and Control training which covered hand hygiene, PPE, preventing cross-contamination and reducing the spread of infection."

The provider made sure medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Staff involved people in planning, including when changes happened. The administration of medicines was managed safely. There were clear systems and processes in place to support safe administration. The registered manager regularly reviewed and audited the medicines administration processes to identify learning opportunity to support continuous service improvement. A member of staff confirmed the process they would follow to keep people safe if there was a medication error, “I would report it to the registered manager immediately; fill in an incident form and contact the GP or pharmacist if needed.”