Carlton Court

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

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way which was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. Staff had been supported to complete training and develop the skills they needed to support people safely. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were employed after the appropriate recruitment checks were completed. There were systems in place to safely support people with medicines.

This service scored 72 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People felt staff knew how to support them safely. One person said, “Staff are very professional.”

There was a strong learning culture at the service. The registered manager invested in sourcing face to face training for staff as a preferred method of learning. Staff were supported with their personal development and learning. The registered manager shared learning with staff from incidents, accidents, complaints and safeguarding so that the service could continually improve and develop positive outcomes for people.

The registered manager reviewed training needs of staff against people they were supporting and where additional training was needed, they sourced this for staff. Accident, incidents, safeguarding, complaints and compliments were investigated and reviewed for themes, any learning identified was shared with staff and changes implemented.

Feedback from people was positive about their transition to using the service. One person said, “I have been very impressed with their level of care, it has been very positive.”

Staff told us once they received a referral they arranged to go and meet the person and their relatives. During this meeting they completed documentation to ensure they had all the information they needed to provide support safely.

The registered manager worked closely with the hospital discharge team and local authority to implement improvements at the service.

The registered manager received referral paperwork from the hospital discharge team, this included what support needs people may have. Following this the registered manager or senior staff arranged to meet with the person at their home when discharged. During this meeting staff went through a checklist to ensure the person had everything they needed to be looked after safely at home. This included equipment, medicines and general items such as food and drink. During this meeting support needs were identified, and a care plan and risk assessment put in place for staff to follow. If staff identified, they did not have the correct equipment or support in place this would be raised with the hospital discharge team. If necessary, people may then need to return to hospital as a failed discharged if support could not be sourced.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and told us they felt safe using the service. A relative told us, “The staff are all excellent.” Another person said, “All the staff are polite and nice to me, make me feel a little bit special.”

Staff had received training in how to safeguard people and knew how to raise any concerns with management or external agencies.

The registered manager told us they had safeguarding policies and procedures in place and had a procedure for ‘whistle blowing’. During staff meetings and staff supervision meetings safeguarding was discussed with staff to ensure staff knew how to safeguard people and how important this was to their role. Where safeguarding concerns had been raised the registered manager worked with the local authority to investigate these and learn lessons to share with staff to improve outcomes for people.

People were involved in planning their care and managing risks. A relative said, “When the staff first came around, they asked us what did we need, how would you like us to do it and went through everything with us.”

Risk assessments and care plans provided guidance to staff to mitigate risks to people. Following an initial meeting with people, risk assessments and care plans were made available for staff to read. One member of staff said, “We have all the information we need when we log in on our phones.”

The registered manager told us following the initial referral on the first visit they met with people and relatives to identify their support needs and formulate an initial care plan, along with tasks and call times. This was then uploaded onto their computerised care planning system for staff to access. In addition to this a hardcopy was left in people’s homes in their support folder in case there was an issue with phones, staff could read the hard copy.

We received positive feedback from people on staffing. One relative said, “Staff are excellent, they have never not turned up, we have never had a problem. As far as I am concerned the care is excellent.” Another person said, “I cannot fault the staff.”

Staff told us they were very happy working at the service and with the support they received from the management team. Staff told us they were allocated enough time to spend with people and to travel between calls.

The registered manager told us staff were offered permanent contracts when they were employed and had moved away from zero contract hours. This meant they had a consistent staff team working for them and felt it showed a commitment to staff and that staff felt more committed to working at the service. New staff had a full induction which included face to face training and shadowing more experienced staff. Staff were supported with supervision meetings and spot checks of their performance. The registered manager was supportive of staff developing their skills with nationally recognised qualifications and sourced external training for staff to enhance their skills. The registered manager had also employed a trainer to deliver face to face training with staff. Appropriate checks were in place before staff started work including providing full work histories, references and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. DBS provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

People were supported by staff who had received training in how to manage infections and infection prevention and control.

Staff told us when new people started using the service personal protective equipment (PPE) was supplied to them for staff to use. When PPE levels needed to be replenished this was collected by staff from the service office.

Staff had received training in infection prevention and control and were observed by senior staff periodically during spot checks to ensure they were following their training.

People mostly managed their own medicines but if needed staff could support them with their medicines.

Staff had received training in managing medicines and had their competency to do so checked.

The registered manager had a medicine management policy in place for staff to follow and all staff received training. If people were being supported with medicines and electronic medicine administration chart was put in place. This contained all the information staff needed to safely support people with medicines.