Helping Hands Liverpool

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 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 investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. The provider demonstrated a commitment to learning from incidents and complaints. Incident and accident reviews showed lessons learnt were shared with staff and tracked for follow-up.

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. For example, where people were admitted to hospital or there was a change in their need, their care needs were re-assessed.

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. For example, there was a safeguarding log in place where the provider made appropriate safeguarding referrals and used learning from the outcomes to improve service provision. Staff we spoke with demonstrated knowledge of the correct course of action to take if they felt someone was being harmed or abused.

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. For example, a person who required support with a catheter had an in-depth infection control risk assessment in place to ensure they were supported safely.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. There were environmental risk assessments in place which took into account factors such as flammable creams, workspace and pets.

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. Everyone we spoke with said the staff arrived on time and they were always contacted ahead of time if there were any changes. Staff were recruited and selected safely.

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 told us they had a good supply of PPE.

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. Staff underwent training in relation to medicines administration and had their competency assessed by a clinical member of the team. Risk assessments for topical medications included clear instructions and safeguards. One medication error was noted, but the person had capacity and chose not to take the medicine. Their care records were updated accordingly.