United Care (UK) 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 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 manager told us that there had not been any safeguarding allegations or complaints made within the past 12 months. Systems were in place for dealing with these, including policies and procedures and staff training. The manager said there had been one accident that occurred recently. We saw this had been dealt with in line with the provider’s policies, which including learning from the incident.

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.

The manager told us after they received an initial referral from the local authority or NHS, they reviewed the information sent by that body. They then met with the person, their relatives and representative of the referring body to assess the person’s needs. This helped to ensure a smooth transition between care services in which the person’s needs were met. Care plans and risk assessments were then developed based on the initial assessment and information provided by the referring body.

Staff told us they were made aware of people’s needs before they began working with them. A staff member told us, “When we go to see the client, we receive information about their condition and how to care for the person. The care plan contains all the information we need to know about who we are looking after and any risk.”

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.

The manager and staff were aware of their responsibilities to report any allegations of abuse. The provider had a safeguarding policy in place to help guide practice in this area and there was also a whistleblowing policy.

Staff had undertaken training about safeguarding adults and were aware of their responsibility to report any allegations of abuse. A member of staff said, “If there are any concerns about vulnerable people about neglect or abuse, we speak to management about that.”

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.

Risk assessments were in place for people, which set out the risks they faced. Assessments covered risks such as moving and handling and the physical environment. They included information about how to mitigate risks.

People were involved in the risk assessment process which helped them to be person-centred, based around the individual. People told us staff knew how to support them in a way that was safe. One person said, “Staff understand me, they know about my accident, they know I’m nervous and support me really well.” A relative told us, “They’re [staff] all very nice and know what they’re doing”. Another relative said, “They know the procedure for the hoist, they know what to do. They’re very well trained, they’ll raise the bed to the right level.”

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

This service was a domiciliary care agency, and care was provided in people’s own homes. This meant the provider had only limited responsibility for the physical environment. However, risk assessments were in place covering associated risks, such as trips and falls.

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.

The manager told us there had not been any missed calls in the past 12 months and that staff punctuality was good. There was an electronic monitoring system in place where staff used their phones to log in and out of each visit, so the provider could check staff were punctual and stayed for the full amount of time.

People told us staff were generally punctual. One person said, “I have a group of 3 of them [staff], I know them well, they’re very reliable and they’re a great help. It’s nice to have the same carers”. A relative said, “Generally speaking they do get there on time, sometimes there are transport issues, but they’re not drastically late.”

The provider had robust staff recruitment processes in place to help ensure suitable staff were recruited. Various checks were carried out on prospective staff, including obtaining employment references, proof of identity and criminal record checks.

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.

The provider had a policy on infection prevention and control to help guide practice in this area. The manager told us staff were expected to wear personal protective equipment [PPE] when providing support with personal care.

Staff were aware of how they could reduce the risk of the spread of infection. One member of staff said, “We are provided with PPE, before visiting client we wash hands and wear gloves. If we touch our mask we change to a new one, there is a policy in place.” People told us that staff wore PPE when supporting them.

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.

The provider had a policy in place to help guide practice with the administration of medicines and staff undertook training in this area. Medicine administration records [MARs] were kept with details of each medicine. Staff signed the MAR each time they gave a person medicine so there was a clear audit trail. Senior staff carried out audits of the MARs. People told us they were happy with the support they received when taking medicines. A relative told us, “My relative has a dose box, staff put out their tablets and then watch to make sure they take them.”