Adonai 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. At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection 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 service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

People were involved in their care; the service worked with people following an accident or incident to prevent a recurrence. Learning lessons and improving safety underpinned all processes in the service. The manager told us they supported learning across the service; this had included reviewing to identify any themes and trends. Records confirmed reviews were undertaken regularly and in accordance with the service policy.

The service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

People were involved in their care; the service worked with people following an accident or incident to prevent a recurrence. Learning lessons and improving safety underpinned all processes in the service. The manager told us they supported learning across the service; this had included reviewing to identify any themes and trends. Records confirmed reviews were undertaken regularly and in accordance with the service policy.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They 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 service shared concerns quickly and appropriately.

People told us they felt safe with the care and support from Adonai Care Services Ltd. Staff knew how to ensure people were protected from harm and abuse, they worked together to achieve the goal. A member of staff said, “It’s been an absolute privilege to work with people who are truly passionate about what they do.” Staff told us how they would raise concerns both within the service and externally. A member of staff said, “If I had any concerns about a client. I would follow the policy of safeguarding, so firstly I would report to my supervisor, if it was a serious issue I would also contact adult social services directly and document everything that happened.”

Staff were confident the registered manager and manager would follow up any concerns and make referrals to the local authority as required. A health and social care professional told us, “I feel the people receiving the care are safe.”Staff understood how to ensure people were kept safe from avoidable harm and had received training in safeguarding adults during their induction. Regular reminders and updates supported staff to prioritise people’s safety. Records showed concerns had been referred as necessary.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. They provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

People told us staff worked to keep them safe and understood their needs, this had enabled people to improve their lives. During the inspection evidence showed a strong connection between care delivery and an improvement in the quality of people’s lives. Relatives agreed they had confidence and peace of mind. Staff knew people well and told us they had enough information regarding people’s individual risks to maintain safety. A staff member said, “We are passionate about supporting people to remain in their homes for as long as possible, as evidence has shown that this enhances people's wellbeing and helps reduce hospital admissions, which is a positive outcome. We understand that for this to work well, people need to be safe, so risk assessments and continuous monitoring are key to achieving this.”

People’s risks were assessed before they started to use the service and updated as needed. Risk assessments were created and maintained on the providers electronic system; they were accessible to staff.

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

People were appreciative of the support provided by the service and told us this had helped them to remain at home. A person told us, “I feel very lucky compared to other people and Adonai Care Services Ltd has helped make that happen.” Environmental risk assessments were in place for people’s care and support; they were reviewed and updated as needed. Staff had received training on using equipment correctly, for example, equipment used to support people with moving around their home. The manager and senior staff had received training in teaching correct techniques so were able to support staff in real life situations. Risk assessments were comprehensive, and each one gave consideration of a person’s home environment and staff safety.

The service 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 were supported by staff who had been through a robust recruitment and selection process. The service vision was clear, and the values of staff underpinned the process. Staff were complimentary about their colleagues and told us they worked well as a team. The service had a thorough induction, shadowing programme, competency checks and ongoing support processes in place. Training was exceptional as this was created within the service in accordance with recognised guidelines. Each course was created by the manager who understood people’s unique requirements and then created a bespoke training course or plan to train staff to meet their individual needs. For example, a person lived with a certain medical condition, the manager had created and delivered a training course for their select staff which had meant staff were more confident and the persons needs were met. A member of staff said, “Our training is thorough, regular, and of a very high standard. It equips me with the knowledge and confidence to carry out my role successfully and to the best of my ability.

The manager told us about the importance of creating and delivering their own training. They said, “There is better engagement, to ensure that carers attend, learn and participate in the training. We included peer support, interaction, sharing information, enhancing trust and collaboration to achieve what we need. To ensure continuity of standards as real examples and storytelling are power tools for learning, I am able, for example, to clarify with staff and give feedback.” Staff were positive about the training and support. Staff spoke highly of the training they received, a member of staff said, “Training is thorough, regular, and of a very high standard. It equips me with the knowledge and confidence to carry out my role successfully and to the best of my ability.”

Recruitment processes were in place; staff were recruited safely. Procedures were in place to ensure the required checks were completed prior to staff commencing their employment. This included enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for adults. DBS checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the police national computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions. Support was ongoing and there was a schedule of supervisions and spot checks, records showed the conversations were two-way and detailed. Staff told us they were supported by the registered manager.

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

People told us they did not have any concerns about staff working in a hygienic way. Staff had access to the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) as needed and supplies were plentiful. Policies and procedures regarding preventing the spread of infection and avoidable harm were in place. Records showed staff had received training and ongoing monitoring for infection prevention and control and the compliance with PPE. A member of staff said, “The office provides us with sufficient PPE and new stocks are delivered weekly.”

The service made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. They involved people in planning, including when changes happened.

People received their medicines as prescribed. There were safe procedures in place for the management of medicines. Care plans correctly reflected the level of support a person required with their medicines. People were confident they received their medicines on time and records reflected this. Medicines records were held on an electronic system; this meant they were updated as changes were made. Alerts from the system informed the manager and office team if a medicine was late, or not given, corrective action was then taken. Monthly audits and checks were undertaken to identify any patterns or concerns. Staff received training, both theory and practical together with competency checks to ensure safe practices with medicines. Communication channels were open with the GP and pharmacy to ensure people had the right medicines at the right time. There was guidance in place to ensure ‘as required’ medicines were administered in a consistent way. A medicines policy was in place which underpinned practice within the service.