Choice Care 4 U 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 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. There were opportunities for staff and leaders to learn lessons and improve outcomes for people. Accidents and incidents were appropriately reported and acted upon. People felt able to talk to staff about safety concerns. Learning was used to improve people’s care experiences.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. There was continuity of care when people moved between different services. We received positive feedback from health and social care professionals about people’s support pathways. People felt involved in planning their care and treatment plans. A relative told us, “There are no safety issues whatsoever.”

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff received safeguarding training. They were aware of their responsibility to protect people from avoidable harm and how to report concerns. People told us they felt safe. A person said, “I’m feeling very safe, and I love the carers I have.”

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks. Staff provided care that was safe, supportive, and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. Risk management processes supported people’s independence including any equipment they needed to do this safely. Risks relating to people’s health, skin integrity and mobility were effectively managed.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Staff knew how to undertake safety checks in people’s homes such as smoke detectors and care alarms and how to report concerns. There was a lone working policy for staff and equipment was provided to aid their personal safety.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled, and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision, and development. Safe employment processes protected people from the recruitment of unsuitable staff. Staff worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. People told us staff were skilled and reliable. A person said, “If one carer can’t make it, they’ve always had another on standby.” A relative told us, “There’s never been a time when they have missed a call.”

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 an up-to-date infection prevention and control (IPC) policy. Staff received training to mitigate the risk of infection outbreaks. IPC audits were undertaken regularly, and actions identified were addressed.

The provider made sure that medicines practices were safe and met people’s needs, capacities, and preferences. Regular medicine checks and audits were undertaken. Medicine administration records (MARs) were completed in line with good practice guidance. There were clear protocols for administering ‘as and when required’ (PRN) medicines. People told us their medicines were managed well. A relative told us, “When medication didn’t arrive in the post, carers were pro-active in collecting it from the pharmacy.”