Creative Support - North Lincolnshire Services

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. 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 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. Staff told us they learned from when things went wrong. However, improvement was needed to ensure this learning was fully recorded. Accidents and incidents were recorded, and a system was in place for the review of these events by the registered manager and senior leadership team. Efforts had been made to analyse events for common themes to help identify if people needed further support to reduce ongoing risk of reoccurrence. Some incidents had staff debriefs and learning recorded while some records needed clearer evidence of this process. Staff told us they learnt from when things went wrong and had discussions in team meetings on how they could review and improve. However, the meeting minutes did not reflect these discussions. The registered manager took this feedback on board during the inspection and planned to improve this recording to help evidence the learning culture in 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.Staff kept track of people’s health and promptly reported any concerns. People received assistance attending their healthcare appointments, and relevant information about their needs was available when necessary, helping to ensure seamless transitions between services.

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.

Staff were trained and were knowledgeable on how to identify abuse and how to report this. There was a system in place to help keep people safe and the registered manager knew how to report concerns to the local authority if needed.

People were supported appropriately under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Staff understood their responsibly when depriving someone of their liberty. The service proactively ensured people were not restricted in their daily lives and the support they received reflected this.

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 managed well; these had been recorded within people’s care plans to give guidance to staff. Checks for people’s health equipment were recorded, and staff knew how to escalate concerns to keep people safe. Risk assessments had been developed where needed, showing any mitigation in place to help minimise the risk to people.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.Checks were in place to ensure the safety of staff when entering people’s homes. Staff would report any concerns with the environment to relevant services to help keep people 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.The registered manager monitored care calls to ensure people had support when planned. Staff received regular training to ensure they were skilled to provide care.Safe recruitment practices were in place, this included checks to ensure people were safe to work with vulnerable adults.Staff told us they worked well together and that they provided good care. One staff member said, “I love working here, it’s an amazing team and we focus on people’s 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.The staff supported people to keep their homes clean and infection free. Checks were in place to help ensure infection risks were kept to a minimum, staff had access to personal protective equipment and used this appropriately. Relevant policies were in place to help guide staff if there were any concerns regarding infection.

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 medication when needed and as prescribed. Staff were trained in the safe handling of medication and care plans reflected people’s medication preferences. Medication errors were identified and action was taken to ensure the safety of the person concerned.