CQC rating for Secure Care UK Headquarters improves to good overall
Secure Care UK Headquarters in St Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex, has been rated good overall, following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January.
Secure Care UK Headquarters is operated by Secure Care UK Limited.
The service offers transport for patients with mental health conditions. It operates from seven sites, controlled from the headquarters, transporting people throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
CQC carried out a short announced comprehensive inspection to check whether improvements had been made following previous inspections.
Following the inspection, the overall rating for the service improved from requires improvement to good, as did its ratings for being safe and effective.
The service was not previously rated for being caring but is now rated good. Its rating for being responsive to people’s needs improved from good to outstanding, and its rating for being well-led remains good.
Carolyn Jenkinson, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said:
“We inspected Secure Care UK Headquarters to check whether improvements had been made following our previous inspection. I am pleased to report that, not only has the provider made the improvements we asked it to make, we found several examples of outstanding practice which demonstrate the service is now incredibly responsive to people’s needs.
“Staff described the organisation as unrecognisable compared to a couple of years ago because it had changed so much. The service is now focused on continual improvement, developing talent and nurturing staff.
“The service had developed a bespoke risk assessment tool for patients, reviewing factors such as people’s medical history, and any sensory impairments or learning difficulties. This enabled staff to work out the number of crew members required and the correct vehicle type for each patient transfer.
“The service had also undertaken research with people with mental health conditions to find out what colour uniform would be most calming for people. They chose silver grey based on this feedback. It was also in the process of trialling mood bands for people to wear on their wrists, an idea suggested by a member of staff. One side of the band says: ‘Leave me alone’ and the other says ‘Happy to talk’, so people can let the crew know how they were feeling.
“Staff also thought about people’s emotional needs when planning a journey. For example, when an autistic person said they felt nervous about being transported by people they had never met, the service sent the person photographs of the crew, along with some information about them, to make them feel less anxious. Control room staff always tried to allocate the same team for repeated journeys to ensure continuity.
“Another person was worried about their dog, so a member of staff walked the dog and made sure it was settled before the person was transported.
“When one person said they liked to watch a favourite television programme at 7pm, staff arranged to collect them after the programme finished. Another said white vans made them anxious, so the crew transported them in a silver vehicle which they found more calming.
“The provider’s education lead produced a weekly podcast for staff to listen to while driving to collect people, and staff were encouraged to suggest topics for the next podcast.
“While there are still one or two areas for further improvement which we pointed out, the whole team deserves to be congratulated. I would encourage other operators of patient transport services for people with mental health conditions to consider adopting similar initiatives.”
CQC found the following during this inspection:
- Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems, and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work.
- Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and the community to plan and manage services, and all staff were committed to improving services continually.
- The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. Staff provided good care and treatment and assessed patients’ food and drink requirements.
- Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They also provided emotional support to patients, families and carers.
- The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records.
- The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them. Staff collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
- The service met agreed response times. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives and supported them to make decisions about their care.
- The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
- The service had developed and launched an NVQ accredited module with a Level 3 qualification for secure patient transport.
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