Respectful Care

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 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 78 (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. Systems and processes were in place to learn from accidents, incidents and feedback. Where issues were identified, managers took action to resolve these. For example, where a person had given a preference for the gender of carer to support them, steps were put in place to ensure this could be accommodated.

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. Systems were in place to record information about people’s health and social care needs, including information and advice from professionals. Records evidenced staff would contact professionals to report concerns and seek advice.

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. Records evidenced that staff understood how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns. Where appropriate, referrals to partner agencies were made and the service followed safeguarding plans which were implemented. Staff had received training in safeguarding and demonstrated their understanding of this. A staff member told us, “Managers regularly remind staff of their responsibility to report concerns, doing so is encouraged and supported,”

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 and their relatives were involved in care planning and reviews. A person told us, “We’ve had a comprehensive meeting around the plan when I started using this service.” Care plans contained risk assessments and daily routine sheets to ensure care was delivered in line with people’s requirements.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The provider completed a comprehensive assessment of environmental risks at the commencement of care to ensure the safety and well-being of people and staff members.

The provider made sure there were always enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received thorough support, supervision and strong development opportunities. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. The provider had implemented a robust development package within the service for staff. Staff had the opportunity to advance tiers within the support role. Staff performance was regularly reviewed through detailed supervision sessions and on-site observations of practice. Where staff demonstrated commitment to their role through time served and good performance, they were able to advance their careers into roles which took on more responsibility such as on-call work and mentoring less experienced staff. This impacted positively on staff who reported feeling supported and valued. The service had good staff retention with people reporting they had consistent care mainly from staff known to them. People gave positive feedback about the quality of care provided by staff. People told us, “I feel very safe with the carers, and they do a fantastic job for me” and “They always cover all of my duties, sometimes above and beyond. They use their initiative and do extra without me asking, they are amazing.” Recruitment was completed safely and in line with current requirements.

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 access to personal protective equipment (PPE) to enable them to complete their roles safely and had completed training in infection prevention and control (IPC). People were positive about how care staff worked to minimise the risks of infection. A person told us, “They [carers] are right on the ball with PPE and safety.”

The provider made sure medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. The provider used an electronic medicines administration system (EMAR) to enable them to review the administration of people’s medicines in real time. This meant the provider was alerted immediately if omissions or errors occurred. People received their medicines as prescribed and records were completed correctly. Regular audits of medicines and observations of staff administering medicines were undertaken.