UK Prime Care Services

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 service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. There were processes in place for the reporting of any accidents and incidents. Although there had been no incidents or accidents at this service, the registered manager was aware of procedures to follow and told us how they worked to ensure a supportive reporting culture. They added, “We don’t have a culture of blame and I want a culture of openness where we are able to discuss an incident and learn from it.” Staff told us they were confident the registered manager would be supportive and take the necessary action if they reported any incidents across the service.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. Due to the size of the service, the provider told us they had limited opportunities to liaise with healthcare partners. However, we saw this was done for a person where their needs had changed and the registered manager had liaised with the relevant health and social care professionals that resulted in an increase in care provision.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. Although there had been no safeguarding investigations at the service, there were systems in place and the registered manager and staff had a good understanding of their responsibilities. A care worker said, “I’d report it to the office and if no action was taken, I know I can call the police, report it to the CCQC and the local authority. I’m 100% confident the manager would take it seriously and respond very quickly."

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. They 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 relatives confirmed they were fully involved when discussing risks and said staff knew how to keep them safe. A person told us staff had a very good understanding when managing a specific risk which involved the use of mobility equipment. They added, “The staff handle this very safely. They are attentive, follow all protocols and ensure I am comfortable throughout the process."

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The provider completed both internal and external environmental risk assessments within people’s homes during their initial assessment to check if it was safe for staff to carry out care in a safe environment. This included checks around fire safety. A relative confirmed staff ensured the home environment was kept safe and free from hazards, especially before they left after the care visit had finished.

The service 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 and their relatives commented positively about the skills, knowledge and experience of their care workers. Staff told us they had access to both online and face to face to training, with further support via regular supervisions. A care worker said, “I think the training is good and easy to understand. If we have any questions about it, we can discuss it with the manager and he explains it really well."

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. Regular spot checks monitored the hygiene and cleanliness within people’s homes and whether staff were following best practice. This included the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Staff confirmed they had completed training and always had access to supplies of PPE. There was clear guidance within people’s care plans and samples of people’s daily logs showed staff were aware of best practice.

The service made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. They involved people in planning, including when changes happened. The provider had made clear improvements since the last inspection. Records were accurate and updated when people’s medicines changed. Staff completed training and the registered manager ensured all responsible staff had their competency assessed. With the provider’s updated digital monitoring system that had been implemented since the last inspection, medicines information was monitored in real time. Samples of electronic medicines administration records (eMAR) showed the management team was alerted and took appropriate action if any medicines task had not been completed.