ProAce Healthcare 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. This is the first assessment of this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 72 (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. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. When accidents and incidents occurred, staff took appropriate action including seeking medical attention. The registered manager had a process in place to review incidents that occurred to identify any trends, patterns and lessons learnt and to share with staff to reduce risks to people.

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. A professional commented, “ProAce staff are very good, they are always professional and will identify when a service needs to be increased or decreased, they always respond to our calls in a timely manner and will address any issues raised should they need to and will re-visit to discuss face to face with the patient.” Staff made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. Detailed information was collected before a person started to use the service and a passport of information was prepared to ensure their needs could be met, if they moved elsewhere. A relative commented, “We have information written down for the hospital if needed.”

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. A person commented, “It is very hard to find carers you trust, but I trust them 100%.” The service shared concerns quickly and appropriately. Staff and leaders had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities in reporting safeguarding concerns to the appropriate agencies. Staff members’ comments included, “I have received adults safeguarding training” and “If I had any concerns, I would report them to one of the managers, who would deal with it straight away.”

The registered manager had completed risk assessments for people and had put some measures in place to mitigate those risks. However, not all risk had been identified, and included within people’s care plans. This meant staff may not have appropriate guidance on how to mitigate the risks. We discussed this with the registered manager, who took immediate action to make improvements. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. A relative commented, “[Name] moves things around the house and there is risk of them falling. Staff make sure there is nothing on the stairs.”

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Risks associated with people’s individual environments were assessed before staff started supporting people within their homes. A professional commented, “ProAce staff had taken sensible and appropriate action to maintain the client’s and their carers safety until the occupational therapy assessment could be completed.”

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. Most staff told us rosters were well-managed, and they worked in the same geographical area, so did not need to travel far between calls. A staff member told us, “I think rosters are well-organised, I work with the same people and get to know them.” A person commented, “I stipulated to the manager that I needed continuity, I am very vulnerable. They are absolutely brilliant at keeping to the same carers.” Staff told us they had received training and ongoing support from the service to carry out their roles safely. Staff comments included, “We get training,” “Training is practical and e -learning” and “I shadowed staff during my induction.”

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. Staff told us they had access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) they required, and people confirmed staff wore this when required. Staff received infection control training and competency checks. A staff member told us, “How we use PPE is checked during spot checks by management.” A person commented, “The carer’s always wear gloves and aprons and put them in the bin afterwards.”

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. There were policies and processes in place to ensure people received their medicines safely. Staff received training and competency checks to observe how they managed people’s medicines safely. A person told us, “I trust all of the staff, there is not one that I am not happy with. They remind me about taking my tablets.”