Blakewater Homecare 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 was 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 78 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a strong proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and complete honesty. Staff actively listened to concerns about safety and thoroughly investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were always learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Accidents and incidents were recorded and analysed to identify trends and patterns and used to mitigate future risks. Staff we spoke with demonstrated they placed great importance on ensuring any action was taken to keep people safe. Staff were supported to reflect on their own practice as part of their personal development.

The provider 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. Professionals working alongside the provider were complimentary about the service and told us support was offered in a very caring and professional way. One professional said, “They [Blakewater Homecare] have been extremely flexible and accommodating taking into account complex difficulties that needed to be addressed for [person]. Blakewater have ensured the care they provide has been patient-focussed, ensuring the service user feels comfortable at each point of contact. This has, in time assisted in building a trusting and therapeutic rapport.”

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff 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 provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately. The provider had a safeguarding policy in place and staff understood how to interpret it. Staff were clear about the procedure to follow if they were concerned about people’s welfare. One staff member said, “It is my responsibility to ensure people are safe and I would inform the manager straight away. We work with vulnerable people, and we need to ensure their safety and protect them from harm.”

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. Risks associated with people's care were identified and managed to keep people safe. One person had a risk assessment in place for the use of a rotunda. The risk assessment clearly explained how this task should be carried out to ensure this was done safely. Staff were knowledgeable about risks and communicated with the management team if people’s needs changed. People and relatives told us they were supported to manage risks. One relative said, “There are no problems with risks, no worries there, no safety issues that I’m concerned about. They [staff] know [family member] well.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The provider carried out necessary risk assessments of the care environment in order to ensure the safety of staff and any other representatives that may attend the property in the course of the service being delivered. For example, risks created by furniture, flooring and pets were clearly documented and people were involved in creating a safe environment. The provider ensured equipment used by staff was safe and serviced in line with manufactory guidance. One relative said, “They [staff] did all the risk assessments properly at the beginning, so they had got safety protocols in place before they started.”

The provider 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 provider had a robust recruitment procedure to ensure staff recruited were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff received a thorough induction when they commenced their role and completed shadow shifts with experienced staff. Staff told us they felt supported by the management team and received one to one sessions to discuss their practice. One staff member said, “[manager’s name] is a good manager and ready to help and support their staff. I have learned loads. I feel I have been given the opportunity to develop and I feel confident I have the skills and knowledge to carry out my role.” People and relatives said staff were well trained; they received induction and supervision. They expressed confidence in the team and satisfaction with the care provided.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. Staff had received training in infection prevent and control and told us they had access to gloves and aprons and used them as required. People told us hygiene practises were good. Staff wore gloves and aprons and changed these after completing personal care tasks and washed their hands. One person said, “They [staff] look clean and tidy, they wear clean uniforms. If they’re doing personal care, they [staff] put on gloves and aprons and afterwards, they always get rid of the rubbish.”

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Staff involved people in planning, including when changes happened. Medicines were managed safely. Staff received training in medicine administration and had their competencies checked by a member of the management team. Staff were aware of complexities around medicines. One staff member said, “We have Medicine Administration Record [MAR] sheets and medicines are in blister packs, but it is our responsibility to check the blister pack against the MAR to ensure the right medicines are given. We have a person on Warfarin and the dose changes frequently, so we have to ensure we have checked what the required dose is each time we visit.”