Rynes Healthcare 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

Relatives were confident staff supported their family members in a safe way. Personalised risk assessments were in place to help staff support people safely. Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew how to report any concerns about abuse or poor practice. People’s medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff to meet all the agency’s care commitments. The provider had effective systems and processes in place to prevent and control infections.

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.

People’s relatives felt staff learned from incidents to help keep people safe. Their comments included, “The staff who raised the [incident], they learnt”, and “They write up notes at the end of the visit, and they report any marks”.

Staff told us the registered manager supported them to learn and improve practice when incidents occurred. Staff confirmed in the latest staff survey that they were kept up to date with any changes to service users’ care plans, including following incidents or accidents. The registered manager told us learning took place when incidents occurred and this was shared with the staff team.

Any accidents or incidents that occurred were recorded, and the actions taken to reduce the risk of a similar incident happening again were documented.

People’s relatives told us staff were proactive in ensuring people had access to the appropriate health care services when needed. Their comments included, “They have all contact numbers for GP, myself and my sister’s daughter”, and “They are observant and do raise issues verbally. They have ‘phoned the doctor this week”.

Staff gave examples of how they supported people to transition between services. This included liaising with ambulance services when people went to hospital as well as liaising with GPs, district nurses and opticians.

We did not receive any feedback from partners about this topic.

The provider ensured people knew who to contact if they had concerns about their health or wellbeing. If people’s needs changed, for example, following a hospital stay, their needs were reassessed and their care plans amended where necessary.

People’s relatives stated they felt people were safe with staff. Their comments included, “[Family member] is safe and I would know who to speak to if I had any issues”, and “Yes [my relative is safe], absolutely”.

The registered manager told us all staff attended safeguarding training in their induction and had access to online refresher training. Staff confirmed in the latest staff survey that they understood their responsibilities to safeguard service users from abuse and neglect, and to report any concerns they had about service users’ treatment or wellbeing. Staff gave examples of ways in which they ensured people’s safety, including promptly reporting safeguarding concerns to the local authority. Staff understood the importance of escalating their concerns to the appropriate authorities as a means of keeping people safe.

The provider’s training record confirmed that all staff had attended safeguarding training since beginning work with the service. Records demonstrated that staff recorded any concerns they had about people’s wellbeing in their daily care notes.

People’s relatives said staff were aware of any risks their family members faced and supported them to stay safe. Relatives’ comments included, “I am the one who encourages and who says I want [family member] to get outside daily, and they do what I ask”, and “[Family member] is still mobile; he has a frame upstairs and another one downstairs, they make sure he uses it when he walks in the garden”.

The registered manager told us they aimed to identify any risks involved in people’s care at their initial assessments and to document these risks in their care plans. In the most recent staff survey, staff confirmed care plans contained sufficient detail to enable them to provide people’s care safely. Staff gave examples of how they supported people to manage risks and do what mattered to them. Their comments included, “If someone is choosing something which is putting him or her in danger, I explain to them what could be the dangers and what could be the good outcome if they choose another option”.

Assessments had been carried out to identify and mitigate any risks involved in people’s care, for example in relation to mobility or falls.

People’s relatives felt staff maintained safe environments for people. Their comments included, “They are mindful of [person’s] safety”, and “Yes they do [maintain a safe environment], for example keeping his meds out of the way”.

The registered manager told us any risks associated with the environment were assessed and measures put in place to mitigate them. Staff confirmed they were expected to monitor the safety of people’s homes and to report any maintenance issues with equipment used by the people they supported.

The provider assessed any risks associated with the environment in which care was provided before people began to use the service.

People’s relatives felt there were enough consistent staff to provide personalised care. Their comments included, “They are fairly consistent; I know them all by sight and trust them all”, and “I think they do their best to send the same ones; [family member] seems happy with them all whoever they are”.

The registered manager told us the service had enough staff to meet all its care commitments and there had been no missed calls. The registered manager said they did not take on new care packages unless they had enough staff with the right skills to meet people's needs. Staff confirmed people received a reliable service that was not rushed. Staff gave examples of how the provider ensured they received adequate training to perform their roles effectively. Their comments included, “Because they provide all avenues of training, access to the policies, and regular meetings for addressing current issues”, and “They make sure all of us have the skills we need. They do thorough training for us, and they give us refreshers”.

The rotas we checked confirmed there were enough staff employed to complete all care calls on time. The provider was able to check call completion through the electronic call monitoring system. The provider carried out appropriate pre-employment checks on staff to ensure they were suitable for their roles. The provider had introduced regular supervision for care staff.

People’s relatives felt staff protected people from the risk of getting an infection. Their comments included, “Yes they are very good”, and “Yes they use gloves and aprons”.

Staff told us they had attended training in infection prevention and control in their induction and had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) when they needed it. Their comments included, “We learned how to use the proper PPE, and how to dispose of it”.

The provider’s training record demonstrated that staff had received IPC training and had access to online refresher training.

People’s relatives confirmed staff provided support to people to help them take their prescribed medicines.

The registered manager was aware of people’s needs concerning medicines management. For example, the registered manager told us staff ensured they always administered one person’s medicines at particular times because the doses were time-specific. Staff confirmed they had received effective training to enable them to manage people’s medicines safely. They gave examples of how they supported people to take their prescribed medicines correctly. Their comments included, “We follow the right procedures; I collect the dosset box, make sure it is clear, show the person, then I give it to the person; I make sure they take it”.

The medicines records we checked were accurate and up to date. Spot checks carried out by the provider included checking staff had administered and recorded people’s medicines correctly. The provider carried out regular medicines audits to ensure people were receiving their medicines as prescribed.