PBT Safer Care

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

People received safe care from supportive staff who understood their individual risks and how best to support them. There were systems in place to keep people safe from abuse and harm. There were enough staff to support people safely and people felt staff took their time to deliver safe care. There were robust processes in place to ensure staff were recruited safely. Improvements were needed to medicines systems. Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment.

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.

There was a proactive culture of learning. People and relatives told us staff acted upon their feedback. One person said, “If I have had to raise something it has been dealt with quickly, they have been really responsive, they want to get the care right.”

The provider proactively identified areas for improvement and was keen to implement this learning. Staff felt strongly about their personal development and the continuous improvement of the service. One staff member told us, “We will keep the standards high as we grow. Ongoing training, recruitment, keeping up to date with the regulations. We will ensure that staff are learning, and keep on monitoring the care, ensuring that the way we work is consistent. We will maintain positive communication with families and clients. Managers will keep evolving and keeping up with the best practice and we will ensure that we will act on people’s feedback. Any areas of improvement will be looked at. In the course of growing, we will monitor what we are doing.”

There were systems and processes in place to investigate and learn from incidents that may take place. Staff had a good understanding of internal procedures, they knew how to report incidents and were trained in all mandatory areas.

People and relatives felt systems were safe. One relative told us, “The quality of care is very good. Staff seem competent.” Another relative said, “I feel [person] is safe, staffing is consistent and staff know their needs well.”

Staff knew how to keep people safe and protect them from avoidable harm. One staff member told us, “If I heard something concerning I would follow the policy and report to the management team.” The provider had processes and policies in place to support efficient risk oversight to keep people safe. Staff demonstrated knowledge about how to keep people safe and said they followed people's risk assessments, care plans and the provider's internal policies. One staff member said, "I have recently completed training in moving and handling. I do support a person to transfer using the hoist and I have completed both the theory and practical training in this area. Following the care plan in place means I can do this task safely."

Partners did not share any information with us about this.

There were systems, policies and processes in place to keep people safe. Staff had a good understanding of internal procedures and how to keep people safe.

Care provision was safe and people and relatives did not share any safeguarding concerns with us. One person said, “Any queries have been dealt with promptly and efficiently.”

Staff knew how to keep people safe and protect them from any avoidable harm. One staff member told us, “I have never had to report anything but I am vigilant and trained to report any concerns, record the incident and share with my manager to help keep people safe.” Another staff member told us, “I have not had to report any safeguarding concerns. If I heard something I would follow the policy and report to the management team.” Staff had completed safeguarding training.

There were effective systems, processes, and practices in place to ensure that people were safe and protected from avoidable harm. Staff had a good understanding of how to keep people safe and were provided with relevant training.

People and relatives felt that risks that might arise were well managed. One relative said, “Staff took a staged approach to supporting [person] to go out in the community. I used to accompany them but I trust them to manage their safety now.” Appropriate safety equipment was in place. Another relative told us, “There is digital equipment in place to monitor [person’s] movements and staff stay on hand to help them if they need it.”

People were involved in managing risks. People’s care plans were regularly reviewed, and their needs assessed. People had relevant risk assessments in place. However, it wasn’t clear how often they were being reviewed. Staff had a good understanding of how to support people to manage identified risks.

There were processes and procedures in place to support staff to keep people safe, manage and mitigate identified risks.

Staff ensured people’s home’s were kept clean, tidy and secure. One person said, “My home is always left secure.” A relative told us, “Staff leave everything in good order, and go above and beyond.”

Staff had a good understanding of identifying and mitigating risks where these had been identified in relation to people’s living environments. One staff member told us, “We do try to keep the environment safe as we can. I have done all my training which was of a good standard.”

There were processes and procedures in place to support staff to keep people safe, manage and mitigate identified risks.

People were very positive about the staff. Comments included; “We have a consistent team that know [person’s needs well”, “Staff are always on time and consistent” and “Staff seem well trained.”

Staff told us that the training was well organised and effective. One staff member told us, “It is a lovely job, I am enjoying it. I was new to care industry. The training has been really good.” Staff had completed training in medicines awareness. However, they were not always very clear about their own roles and responsibilities. We fed this back to the provider. Not all of the staff have been provided with learning disability training. One staff member told us, “I support people with a learning disability but have not done any specific training to learning disability with this company yet.” The provider said they are planning to deliver face to face training over the coming months. Staff told us that they were recruited safely. One staff member told us, “ Yes, I had to provide proof of identity and I provided two references. I also had a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check.” Another staff member said, “I had checks done when I started work and gave references.” The Disclosure and Barring Service helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff rotas were managed effectively, and people were receiving care as agreed in their care plans. There was evidence that staff received training to ensure that they had the right skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. However, some aspects of training could be further developed. There was no evidence that staff had completed training about the Mental Capacity Act. Staff were recruited safely however records did not always clearly show where references for staff had been obtained from.

People said staff followed safe infection control practice. Comments included; “Staff wear PPE”, “Staff do a lot of cleaning they don’t have to” and “The carers always dispose of waste appropriately and leave the house clean and tidy.”

Staff had a good understanding of infection prevention and control principles. One staff member told us, “I carry gloves, apron, hand sanitiser. I make sure I never run out and there is always more available.” Another staff member told us, “We have gloves and aprons and are sure to wash our hands often. I keep everything clean and safe and follow the infection control policy.” Staff had completed infection control and prevention training.

There were processes in place to ensure that staff delivered safe care to people and protected them from avoidable harm by implementing effective infection control. Staff had a good understanding of infection control and prevention measures and knew how to keep people safe. Staff were provided with infection control and prevention training and the provider had undertaken regular spot checks to check that good practice was followed.

People often administered their own medicines or were supported by relatives. Feedback was positive where staff did support people. One relative told us, “Support with medicines has been excellent. Staff administer from a blister pack and we have had no problems."

Staff were not always clear on the level of support they should provide to people with their medicines. One staff member told us, “I don’t personally administer medication, although I am trained to do so. Sometimes I just double check with people to make sure that they have remembered to take their own.” Another staff member told us, “Family members support [person] with their tablets, but if they have missed some I might help them take them.” We discussed with the management team that care plans should clearly stipulate the level of support people required with medicines and staff should always follow the care plan to avoid errors in administration.

Processes around managing medicines had not always been clear. There was no evidence of harm however, there had been occasions when staff had supported people to take their medicines when this task was not stated in the care plan. Staff were not always clear on the level of support that they needed to provide. Staff were provided with medicines awareness training but it wasn’t clear how often relevant competencies were assessed.