My Homecare Sutton and Surrey

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 78 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

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. People felt safe receiving care. Care workers were aware of their role to safeguard adults from avoidable harm and if they saw something that was of concern they reported it to their managers. A care worker said, “If we are concerned about their safety and if we’re worried, we would phone the office.” They had confidence office staff would take appropriate action in response to the concerns raised, including sharing information with the local authority safeguarding team. Processes were in place to ensure oversight of any safeguarding concerns raised and ensure appropriate action was taken in response.

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 family felt involved in risk management and were kept well informed about any changes in their health. People and their relatives told us, “They cream him every day with special cream to help with bed sores. They will let me know of any marks and they show me and let me know to keep an eye on it. They always inform me,” and “One of the care workers was getting him dressed and she said he has no pressure sores, so they do check him.” Staff told us care records were detailed and accessible which enabled them to have up to date information about any risks to people’s safety. The care records we viewed contained detailed risk assessments and management plans, informing staff about any risks to people’s safety and how they were to be mitigated. These were regularly reviewed and updated. This included information about any health diagnoses, how they may affect the person, and possible complications, so staff were aware of how to support a person safely and when to escalate concerns to specialist healthcare professionals. For example, staff were working with speech and language therapists to support people with swallowing difficulties.

The provider had appointed a member of staff as a fire marshall. They ensured fire safety procedures were in place at the office. They also worked with care workers and people using the service to assess fire risks in their homes and how they would be supported to evacuate their homes in the event of a fire.

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

The provider made sure there were always enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received thorough support, supervision and strong development opportunities.

Safe recruitment practices were in place to ensure suitable, competent staff were employed. New recruitment panels and systems reduced the risk of unconscious bias and ensure fair recruitment practices were in place.

People received support from a consistent group of care workers who knew them well. One person said, “Over the last 3-4 months we have had consistent care workers and it really helps her when she is familiar with the care workers.” Call log data showed people received care from regular care workers and people received care at the scheduled time. The registered manager was aware of the importance of consistency of care worker and the impact this had on people. They told us about one person who had had a prolonged stay in hospital. When they were discharged, they were able to reinstate the same care workers they had prior to their hospital stay.

People felt staff were knowledgeable and had the skills and understanding to undertake their duties. People and relatives told us, “I ask questions the whole time and they are brilliant. They suggest things that dad needs. They reassure us as well,” and “They are competent and caring.” Staff told us they had good access to training. One care worker told us they previously supported someone with Parkinson’s and wanted to know more about the diagnosis so the management team sourced training on Parkinson’s disease. Other care workers said, “If we feel like we need more training we can always request it. Anything we want.” The registered manager told us they had one person using the service who used a Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube. Their family were currently managing their PEG. However, the registered manager felt their staff should also be trained in using a PEG so they could support, should the need arise.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Medicines optimisation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.