The Caring Hands

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.

People received safe care and support and told us they felt safe with staff, who understood safeguarding procedures and were confident in reporting any concerns. Risks to people's safety were assessed and well managed, and people’s care plans detailed current risks and individual needs. There were sufficient numbers of staff who were safely recruited to meet people's needs.

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.

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.

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 told us that they felt safe and well cared for when receiving care from staff. One person said, “They’re a good team. They know what they’re doing, and they know exactly what my needs are, so I always feel safe and secure.” A relative said, “We have the continuity of carers which ensures they know how to keep [family member] safe.”

Staff were knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms a person might display if they were being harmed and knew how to report their concerns.

Staff training records confirmed that all staff had completed safeguarding training for vulnerable adults and children. There were safeguarding policies that were accessible to staff and each staff member had an employment handbook that contained information about safeguarding. The registered manager maintained a safeguarding matrix, so they had good managerial oversight of any safeguarding concerns. The provider reported safeguarding incidents as required to the relevant agencies and used these to learn lessons when things went wrong

Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. One person told us they were at risk of falling and said, “I use my walker all the time. The carers make sure the walker’s always in reach. The carers also help with showers, minimising my risk of falls.”

Staff told us they were able to keep people as safe as possible, whilst also promoting their independence and that the risk assessments were good tools to help keep people safe. One member of staff told us, "The risk assessments highlight the risks to people and the carers and how to reduce the risk so that we are working safely.”

Risk assessments were in place to identify all the risks present within a person’s life. Each person’s assessment was personalised to them and described the support they needed to manage risks. Risk assessments were reviewed monthly to make sure they remained up to date and reflected changes to people's circumstances.

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 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.

People told us they always had enough staff attend their care calls in line with their assessed needs and care plan. One person said, “We always have 2 carers that help look after us.” People informed us they saw the same staff which was important to them, and they also confirmed that staff stayed for the allocated length of time.

A robust assessment of people’s needs was completed before a care package was agreed. This meant the provider was able to assess how much support a person needed and how many staff were required to provide that support safely. The assessment also identified the skill mix of staff needed to provide people’s care. Staff rotas showed that sufficient numbers of staff were consistently deployed to fully meet people’s needs.

The provider followed robust recruitment procedures to ensure people were protected from staff that may not be fit to support them. The registered manager told us they tried to match people with similar characters, interests, age ranges and skills set.

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.