Unity Health Care Solutions

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 inspection for this service. This key question has been rated 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. 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. A staff member told us, “We discuss any incidents at staff meetings.”

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. 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.

Staff at 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 and leaders had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities in reporting safeguarding concerns to the appropriate agencies. A person told us, “I feel very safe in their care because they [staff] know what they are doing.”

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. The registered manager had completed risk assessments for people and had put measures in place to mitigate those risks. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. A person told us, “I feel safe when staff help me on the stairlift, use my zimmer frame and wheelchair.”

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 relative commented, “They [staff] are so helpful, they organised the key safe installation.”

The registered manager 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. The rosters were well-managed, so people received consistent care from staff they knew. A professional told us, “The manager tries to keep the same staff in as much as possible and this makes a huge difference to the clients. They feel secure knowing who is coming in. If there are changes, they let the client know so they are not worried.” Staff members received training and opportunities for personal development. A relative told us, “Staff are well trained and experienced.” A staff member commented, “I have just got my certificates for a level 4 qualification in care.”

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. A person told us, “Staff wear PPE when doing personal care and another pair of gloves when preparing food.” Staff received infection control training and competency checks. A staff member commented, “We are supplied with PPE and the registered manager checks at spot checks that we are wearing it as we should.”

The service made sure that medicines 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 staff member told us, “After I did my medicines training, before I could deal with medicines, the registered manager observed to check that I was competent.”