Premier Care (Midlands) Limited - Coventry

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

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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.

People and relatives told us they would not hesitate to raise any safety concerns. Staff told us they were encouraged to raise incidents and accidents and were actively listened to. One staff member said, “Concerns are investigated properly, there is a really good system in place”. Regular team meetings were held with both office and staff teams to discuss learning, reflect on experiences and share improvements across the service. Ideas and suggestions were welcomed which helped to foster a culture of continuous 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.

There was a robust pre-admission process in place. People’s comments included, “On day one we had a meeting with the manager and made our expectations clear”. Another person said, “Premier Care interviewed me with my partner. It was very detailed. I felt comfortable and able to tell them what I needed”.

The provider demonstrated safe systems of care, for example with District Nurses and the local authority. The made timely referrals to ensure people accessed support when they needed. Robust systems were in place to ensure follow up referrals to agencies were recorded and discussed in weekly meetings.

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.

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.

People and relatives told us they would not hesitate to raise concerns and felt safe using the service. One person told us, “During the assessment the office staff told me that any time I did not feel safe, to contact them and they would deal with it”. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood how to identify signs of abuse and raise concerns. One staff member told us, “We receive training on how to report abuse, the rights of the person, refusal of personal care and food and drink”.

Systems were in place to report safeguarding concerns to the local authority and discussed in staff supervisions and team meetings. However, the provider did not always report concerns to the CQC. We raised this with the registered manager who immediately acted and reviewed systems to ensure reporting to CQC was included as part of the process.

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.

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.

People and relatives told us they would not hesitate to raise concerns and felt safe using the service. One person told us, “During the assessment the office staff told me that any time I did not feel safe, to contact them and they would deal with it”. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood how to identify signs of abuse and raise concerns. One staff member told us, “We receive training on how to report abuse, the rights of the person, refusal of personal care and food and drink”.

Systems were in place to report safeguarding concerns to the local authority and discussed in staff supervisions and team meetings. However, the provider did not always report concerns to the CQC. We raised this with the registered manager who immediately acted and reviewed systems to ensure reporting to CQC was included as part of the process.

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

As part of the pre-assessment process the provider completed an assessment of the environment which was regularly reviewed. Systems were in place to ensure equipment checks were undertaken at regular intervals. Staff told us they could contact the office regarding any environmental changes in people’s homes. One staff member said,” On a daily basis I check the equipment to ensure it doesn’t endanger the person. We always make check batteries are charged and equipment is plugged in. In our observation of the environment, we check the environment, rug and carpet to ensure it is 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.

People and relatives told us they were happy with the care provided. One person said, “They look after me and my spouse, they are very helpful. My spouse collapsed in the bathroom, the carer knew exactly what to do, they phoned for an ambulance”. A relative told us, “The carers are the first people they see in the morning. They use a hoist to get them out of bed and into their wheelchair. [Name] is totally dependent on them, and they do not let them down. They give [Name] medication on time, it is in a blister pack, they check to make sure [Name] has taken it”.

Staff received a structured induction which included shadowing experienced colleagues, ongoing support and competency assessments. Training was delivered with a combination of online and face-to-face sessions. Staff received monthly supervision at the start of their employment to support staff development and ensure safe and effective practice. One staff member told us, “Training has really helped, they monitor the notes, timing, early visitation and provide feedback on improvement as well as compliments on where I am doing well. They also complete spot checks and observation and give directives for future feedback”.

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 told us there was sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves and aprons. Staff received training in infection prevention and control to ensure they followed best practice and safe method of disposal. Care plans had detailed information on how to dispose of PPE.

Systems were in place to monitor safe practice through observations, spot checks, 1:1 wellbeing checks and discussed during team meetings.

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.

Our checks confirmed people consistently received their prescribed medicines. Care plans provided instructions on how much support people needed. One person told us, “They make sure I have my medication on time, they put the tablets in my hand and give me a drink”.

Staff received training and support which enabled them to safely manage and administer medicines. Regular checks and audits were in place to ensure medicines were managed and administered safely.