SuppLiCan Care and Support

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 recruitment practices were in place. There were enough staff to deliver safe care that promoted choice, control, and individual wellbeing. Safeguarding processes were followed, and staff were aware of reporting systems. Risks were identified, assessed and instructions for staff to promote safe ways of working were in place, this included when people moved between services. People received their medicines as prescribed. Staff worked in safe ways and understood the importance of good hygiene. Opportunities were taken to learn from events that occurred within the service.

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.

People told us they felt safe when supported by staff from SuppLiCan Care and Support. Staff helped them with their care needs by ensuring they followed safety guidelines. This had included reporting concerns and events such as slips, trips and falls.

Staff told us they knew how to report incidents to the registered manager and said they could keep people safe and understood what to do in an emergency. Staff told us they shared information about people with the team.

Lessons were learnt from safety incidents, resulting in changes that improved care for others. Safety incidents were discussed at team meetings and staff were regularly spot checked when supporting people in their homes.

People told us they felt supported when attending their health checks. One person said, ‘’Yes, carer drives me to my appointments, even when they are far from home.’’

Staff and the registered manager told us they had effective, working relationships with external professionals to ensure people’s needs were met well.

Feedback received throughout the inspection was positive from health and social care professionals who worked and interacted with SuppLiCan Care and Support. A health and social care professional told us, ’’All of my assessments felt very collaborative with the carers I met, and they were keen to ask questions. All the staff I have met so far feel very caring and keen to learn and understand techniques around care planning and risk assessments.’’

People’s needs, and care requirements were detailed within their care plans and risk assessments. These were available on the electronic system used by the service. The registered manager was able to grant access to the system to health and social care professionals when required. There were also paper based records available in people’s homes to support people who were admitted to hospital. This supported continuity of care for people.

People told us they felt safe and happy with the care and support they received from the service. People and their relatives knew who to contact should they have concerns and were confident any issues would be resolved.

Staff knew how to ensure people were protected from harm and abuse. Staff told us they were confident the registered manager would follow up any concerns. Staff were also aware they could report any concerns externally to the local authority or CQC. One staff member told us, ‘’I would contact the local authority and CQC, maybe even the police, depending on what the concern is.’’ Another staff member said, ‘’I’ve never had to report any concerns but if I did, the registered manager[name] would follow it up.’’ Staff understood how to ensure people’s rights were fully respected and had received training in safeguarding adults during their induction with regular reminders and updates. Safeguarding and whistleblowing were often a topic during staff’s regular supervisions and team meetings.

Safeguarding procedures were robust. Safeguarding incidents were monitored, and policies and procedures were in place. The registered manager was clear about the process to follow to ensure people were protected and concerns were reported to the local authority without delay.

People told us staff worked to keep them safe and understood their needs. People told us they were confident in the staff’s ability to keep them safe from the risk of harm. A person told us, ‘’Staff are very good, all of them, I can ask them questions. They’re wonderful.’’

Staff understood and were knowledgeable about the risks people had to their safety and wellbeing. Staff told us they had clear information and instructions to follow on how to support people.

Risks to people had been identified, assessed and plans were in place to ensure risks were reduced or removed. People were involved in creating their own care plans and their views and personal preferences were respected. The risks people faced were individual to them, for example, mobility, falls, constipation, eating and drinking.

People were kept safe by staff who helped them maintain a safe environment. People's care plans contained detailed assessments of their environments which identified dangers such as trip hazards and ways to mitigate risks in people's environments.

Staff told us they had access to support via the telephone when they needed, including outside of normal working hours. One staff member told us, ‘’I am always updated on who is on call, so I know who to contact if I need help.’’ Another staff member said, ‘’I will contact the management if needed.’’

Risks associated with a person’s home environment were identified during the person’s initial assessment. This included areas such as trip hazards, faulty equipment, smoking and pets. Records showed measures to enhance safety were discussed with the person, but also clearly documented for staff awareness.

People and their relatives told us they were happy with the staff who visited them and confirmed that staff stayed for the full duration of their visit. People spoke of staff with affection and told us they were kind and would do anything for them. One person told us, ‘’They are a bit like our family now.’’

Staff told us they had enough training and support to carry out their role effectively. Comments included, ‘’Yes, I've had good training’’, ‘’I did a lot of training’’, ‘’Yes, we do training and meetings’’, and ‘’I've had enough training, I did my online training.’’

Staff training was in place to ensure staff had the necessary skills to do their job, this included a comprehensive induction and extensive shadowing before working with people. Training and support were ongoing and there was a planned programme of supervisions, spot checks and appraisals, records showed the conversations were two-way and detailed. The registered manager was involved in checking competency of staff. Staff received professionals’ standards passports in a form of a book. Staff used these books to self-reflect on their performance and prepare for their supervisions. Staff were recruited safely, and recruitment records reflected this. Procedures were in place to ensure the required checks were carried out on staff before they commenced their employment. This included enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for adults. DBS checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the police national computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

People and their relatives told us staff worked in a safe and hygienic way. They told us they did not have concerns about staffing in terms of infection control and keeping them as safe as possible from avoidable infection. People and their relatives told us staff wore their personal protective equipment (PPE) when they needed to.

Infection prevention and control was a mandatory training subject which included regular updates. Staff were aware of the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. The registered manager had recently introduced the role of infection prevention champion and their job was to support other staff members and order correct PPE when required.

Infection prevention and control procedures were in place, in line with the providers policy. Compliance with the infection control policy was observed during the providers spot checks in people’s homes, where staff demonstrated how to work in a safe and hygienic way.

People told us they received support with their medication.

Staff told us they received training in supporting people with medicine, both theory and practical. Ongoing competency checks ensured safe practice.

Safe procedures were in place for the administration of medicines and people’s medication charts were regularly reviewed. Medicines were recorded on an electronic system which provided a live record of administration. This meant changes to people’s medicines were able to be implemented immediately. Actions taken when there was an error, were immediate and effective to ensure people’s safety. There was a medicines policy in place.