A Kind Homecare Hinckley & Bosworth

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 assessment 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 provider 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. For example, following a safety incident, the registered manager undertook comprehensive risk assessments and ensured all staff received specific training to support people safely.

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. The registered manager worked with people, their relatives and health care professionals to enable people to be discharged safely from health settings or to access more intensive healthcare if needed.

The provider 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 received training, support and guidance to understand their role in safeguarding people. A staff member told us, “If we have any concerns, we can go straight to the management team and they always listen and take action.” A second staff member described how they had contacted managers who had taken immediate action to keep a person and their relative safe at a time when the person was experiencing high levels of distress.

The provider 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. People’s care plans included detailed information around risks and actions staff needed to take to mitigate these. We found one care plan which required further information to mitigate the risk of self neglect and promote intervention at an early stage. The registered manager acted to address this following our site visit. A person told us, “They [staff] don’t need to be told what to do, they do anything I ask and keep me safe.” Relatives told us staff followed instructions and guidance from health care professionals to keep their family members’ safe, including the management of skin integrity and safe use of equipment.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. People’s care plans included detailed environmental risk assessments to support staffs’ safe entry and exit from people’s homes and facilitate a safe response in the event of an emergency.

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. Everyone we spoke with praised the quality, conduct and skills of the staff team. One person told us, “They [staff] give me quality care; I feel safe with them. All the staff are very respectful. They always ask and check what I want even though its written down.” Call schedules showed people usually received their calls on time; missed or late calls were rare and timely action taken to mitigate any potential risks. Relatives told us their family members received care from a consistent staff team and had no concerns around call timings or duration of visits. A relative told us, “I am always sent a rota which gives me details of times and allocated staff.”

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. People and relatives confirmed staff followed safe infection prevention and control practices when supporting people. Staff confirmed they always had access to personal protective equipment, including gloves and aprons.

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. They involved people in planning, including when changes happened. People’s care plans included details of their medicines, the support they needed to take these and any specific directions. People told us they received their medicines safely and staff completed records to confirm administration, which were regularly audited by the management team. Staff had received training and support to administer medicines safely.