Delore Care Woking

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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 reported safety events when necessary.

Any accidents or incidents were recorded and reviewed to identify any actions that could be taken to prevent a recurrence. The provider shared information with other relevant professionals if safety events occurred. Lessons were learned to identify and instil good practice. Learning from incidents was shared with staff at team meetings.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed well. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services.

The provider communicated effectively with other professionals to ensure people’s care was effectively planned and delivered, for example, when people returned home from hospital. People were involved in planning their care, and their views were listened to and taken into account.

The provider outlined in the PIR how they worked with other professionals to achieve the best possible outcomes for people. The PIR stated, ‘Collaboration with specialist services ensures that all aspects of a person’s needs are addressed, for example, getting support from the tissue viability nurses, updating the [local authority] locality team of any changes in the client’s needs which require additional support, or to reduce the support hours because they no longer require some of the support initially agreed.’

The provider worked with people to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff focused on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, abuse, and avoidable harm. The provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately.

People told us they felt safe when staff provided their care. One person said, “I feel safe as I have the same carers and they arrive on time.“ Relatives were confident that staff provided their family members’ care in a safe way. One relative told us, “I trust the carers and feel confident with how they look after [family member].” Another relative said of staff, “[Family member] trusts them and feels confident in their ability, and so do I.”

Staff attended safeguarding training in their induction and regular refresher training thereafter. Staff were able to describe the potential signs of abuse and how they would report any concerns they had. One member of staff said, ‘We are trained in safeguarding and I know the procedure to follow to report [any concerns].’ Another member of staff told us they had reported their concerns when a person they supported was at risk of neglect.

The provider worked with the local authority and other agencies to investigate when safeguarding concerns were raised. This included contributing to safeguarding enquiries and providing information when requested.

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. Any risks involved in people’s care had been assessed and guidance put in place for staff about how to mitigate these.

Relatives told us staff supported their family members to stay safe, including when they mobilised. One relative said, “When the carers help [family member] to the bathroom, one is in front of him and one behind assisting him up the stairs with use of the handrails.” Another relative told us staff were, “Very vigilant” in managing their family member’s risks.

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

People told us staff helped them keep their homes safe and secure. Relatives said staff made sure the security of their family members’ homes was maintained. For example, some relatives said staff used key safes to access their family members’ homes and ensured they changed the combination when they left to ensure the security of the device.

People told us staff knew how to use any equipment involved in their care safely. One person said, “If I was incapacitated, the hoist is there for the carers to use and they have been trained to use it.“

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 told us they received a well-planned, reliable service. They said staff usually arrived on time and always stayed for the scheduled length of the visit. One person told us, “They have never missed any calls, they stay for the time they are supposed to, and if they are going to be late, they will let me know.”

Relatives said timekeeping had sometimes been an issue in the past, but that this had improved. One relative told us, “In the early days, timings were very hit and miss, but things have improved and they now arrive at 7.30, which works well for [family member].“ Another relative said, “Recently they have improved on timekeeping.”

Staff were recruited safely. The provider carried out pre-employment checks including obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service certificate. Disclosure and Barring Service checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

Staff had access to the training they needed to carry out their roles. All staff had an induction when they joined the service, which included shadowing experienced staff to understand how people preferred their care to be provided. The provider used a blend of resources to deliver staff training, including in-house training, training provided by external consultants, and online eLearning.

All staff were expected to complete the Care Certificate, a framework of agreed standards for health and social care workers in the UK, designed to ensure they have the essential skills, knowledge, and behaviours to provide safe, compassionate, and high-quality care.

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 had training in infection prevention and control (IPC) in their induction and access to regular refresher training. Staff told us they always had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) when they needed it.

Relatives confirmed that staff wore appropriate PPE when providing their family members’ care. One relative said, “They wear gloves and aprons when providing personal care.”

People were involved in decisions about the level of support they needed to take their medicines. Care plans detailed the support people needed to manage their medicines safely.

People who received support to manage their medicines told us staff did this safely. This was confirmed by relatives, one of whom told us, “I am happy with [family member’s] support with her medication; there have been no mistakes.”

Staff received training and their competency was assessed before they were authorised to administer medicines. Staff told us the training they had received meant they were confident in managing medicines safely.

The provider had a policy which provided a framework for the safe management of medicines and helped to minimise risks and prevent errors. The management team carried out a weekly audit of each person’s medicines administration records.