Temp Exchange 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. At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection 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. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Staff told us they had opportunities to learn from incidents which were regularly discussed during team meetings. A health and social care professional said, “They do take on board feedback and are open to learning from events.”

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. Some people received reablement care, which was usually put in place for a short period of time upon a hospital discharge. The management team worked closely with the hospital discharge team to help ensure a safer discharge process. A person told us they had a positive experience. They said, “I was referred to them by the hospital after a knee operation. They came to meet me and discuss my needs and I had a full say in it. After that, they brought the carers to explain what they needed to do. The carer is very aware of the falls risk in the shower and when I’m moving about.”

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. The service shared concerns quickly and appropriately. Staff completed safeguarding training and had regular opportunities to discuss and review their understanding during supervision and staff meetings. All staff were confident the registered manager would respond immediately to any concerns they raised. The registered manager had also been proactive to report safeguarding concerns where they found people had been placed at risk within their homes upon their discharge from hospital.

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 told us they were always involved and felt safe with the support they received. Comments included, “When the carer is here, I am safe. She is very observant and will check me for safety in the shower. She is always conversing and never forces me to do things” and “We feel safe with the carers. There are always 2 of them and they know how to use the hoist. The carers know us well and appear well trained.”

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 worked closely with a range of health and social care professionals if their assessments identified the need for any specialist equipment or if there were environmental issues within people’s homes. For example, we saw concerns were reported when the provider’s initial assessment found people’s homes in unsafe conditions that would have impacted their ability to provide safe care. A health and social care professional confirmed this and told us how the staff team worked hard to ensure people’s home environments were safe to remain in their home.

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 told us staff were skilled and experienced in supporting them. Staff were positive about the level of training and support they received which gave them the confidence to carry out their roles. A staff member said, “We had regular face to face training sessions using the hoist and for moving and handling. They trained us, then observed us and signed us off as competent. It is really helpful and the refresher training is really good.”

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies when needed. The provider carried out infection control audits in people’s homes and also observed staff were following best practice during regular spot checks. People told us staff always wore the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) and staff confirmed they always had enough available. A staff member added, “We had a presentation in a staff meeting about how to use our PPE and what procedures to follow. They are very clear on what we have to do about this.”

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. Staff completed training and had their competency assessed before they started supporting people with their medicines, which included an annual observation assessment. A staff member said, “The training was really informative and gave us a good awareness. They take this very seriously and we are always reminded about important medicines practices.” Where there was a minor inconsistency for a person with some missing information about their medicines, the registered manager was proactive and updated the record with the relevant information as soon as possible. This included liaising with the GP to ensure they had all the correct details in place.