Reliant 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 that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. The rating has improved from requires improvement to good during this assessment. 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.

There was a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Systems were in place to help staff learn from things that went wrong and to help make improvements to the care and support people received.

Staff recorded and reported accidents and incidents. They completed an Antecedent Behaviour-Consequence (ABC) chart for the person involved in the accident/incident which documented lessons learnt. Lessons were learnt to prevent reoccurrence and help drive improvements and embed good practice. Learning from incidents was shared with staff regularly to help keep staff up to date with changes in people’s needs.

Policies and procedures were in place for investigating, analysing, and responding to accidents, incidents, complaints, and safeguarding alerts.

People, relatives, representatives and staff were encouraged to raise concerns to help prevent the development of a closed culture.

Systems were in place to help ensure safe transitions and pathways for people. Assessments of people’s needs, risks and wishes were completed and reviewed to help ensure they reflected people’s support needs.

Processes were in place for sharing information between professionals to help provide safe care.

Care plans were developed and shared with health and social care professionals when required. A professional told us the provider had systems in place to help support people safely.

Systems were in place to help ensure safe transitions and pathways for people. Assessments of people’s needs, risks and wishes were completed and reviewed to help ensure they reflected people’s support needs.

Processes were in place for sharing information between professionals to help provide safe care.

Care plans were developed and shared with health and social care professionals when required. A professional told us the provider had systems in place to help support people safely.

Systems were in place to help ensure safe transitions and pathways for people. Assessments of people’s needs, risks and wishes were completed and reviewed to help ensure they reflected people’s support needs.

Processes were in place for sharing information between professionals to help provide safe care.

Care plans were developed and shared with health and social care professionals when required. A professional told us the provider had systems in place to help support people safely.

The provider identified and helped control potential risks in the care environment. They helped to ensure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The provider assessed people’s homes for risks and took action to ensure people, staff and people’s visitors remained safe.

Management worked closely with the housing association to help ensure the premises was maintained appropriately. Where actions were required, they engaged with the housing association to help make sure these were completed in a timely way.

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. Staff worked as a team to help provide safe care for people that met people’s individual needs.

Staff told us there were enough staff to safely meet people’s needs. They said communication from management was effective and they were kept informed of changes and developments.

Policies and procedures were in place to help recruit staff safely. Checks on the suitability of potential staff were completed. This included obtaining references and checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The DBS helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and help prevent unsuitable people from working in care services.

Staff undertook a range of training and had regular supervision meetings and appraisals to discuss their work. Staff spoke positively about the training they received. A member of staff said, “Training is absolutely amazing here. There is continuous training. The training is totally relatable and practical for what we do so that we can apply it when supporting people.”

Management carried out competency assessments and observations to help ensure staff had the right skills and knowledge for their roles.

Systems were in place to help prevent the risk of infection within the service. Staff followed infection control processes, including washing their hands, keeping people’s home’s clean and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Staff had completed training about infection prevention and control. Staff said they had enough PPE.

Infection prevention and control policies were in place. Staff were given the information and guidance they needed.

Medicines management systems were in place. When people were prescribed medicines on an as and when required basis (PRN), there were protocols in place to advise staff on what circumstances to give these medicines. We however noted that staff did not always clearly document the reasons for administering PRN medicines on MAR charts. We raised this with the registered manager who confirmed that staff would be reminded of the importance of recording clear reasons on MARs.

People's medicine support needs were documented in their care plans.

Electronic Medicine Administration Records (MARs) were completed by staff when administering medicines. We looked at a sample of these and found these were completed indicating medicines were administered as prescribed.

Staff received training to administer medicines to help ensure they had the appropriate knowledge and skills.

Medicines in supported living settings should be stored in people's own flats in accordance with guidance. Medicines were stored in this way and people had a lockable cabinet in their flat where they stored their medicines.