Fanshawe Avenue

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

Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff had undertaken training about safeguarding adults and understood their responsibility for reporting allegations of abuse. Risk assessments set out how to protect people from harm and people were involved in developing these assessments. Staff were punctual and stayed for the full amount of time required. Robust staff recruitment practices were in place.

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.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

People told us they felt safe using the service. One person said, “I feel safe because I can trust them and haven’t been let down.” A relative said the person felt, “Very safe.” People also told us they knew who to contact if they had any problems. A person said, “I am aware of who to contact if I needed to. I have the number for manager and the office."

The registered manager understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. They gave an example of a safeguarding concern which they referred to the police and the safeguarding team. They also explained how they checked staff knowledge of the safeguarding process and if a staff member could not answer satisfactorily they would undergo retraining. Staff knew what actions to take if they suspected a person using the service was being abused and knew who they could blow the whistle to. A staff member said, “Safeguarding is about protecting our service users against any harmful acts, anything that could be harmful to their wellbeing.” They told us they would inform their manager, make a written report about it, and if no action was taken, they had the right to inform the local authority and CQC.

Processes were in place to help protect people from the risk of abuse. The provider had various policies and procedures in place to help provide guidance to staff about safeguarding. These included a safeguarding adults policy which made clear the provider’s responsibility to report any allegations of abuse to the local authority and the Care Quality Commission. Staff undertook training about safeguarding adults to learn how to recognise possible signs of abuse and how to respond to suspicions of abuse.

People told us that staff met their needs in a way that was safe. A person said, “I feel safe, they [staff] know what they are doing.”

The registered manager understood the importance of risk management and told us, “Risk is important. We look through the environment and areas where there might be concerns. Risk assessment is done every day because things can change. We do our documentation. “ Staff understood their role in managing people’s risks and were aware of the risk assessments on the care plans. They also said their responsibility was to assess the risks at each visit in case anything had changed and if so they needed to inform their line manager.

The provider carried out risk assessments for people to minimise the risks of harm they may face. Risk assessments included, mobility, personal care, pressure sores, medication, and nutrition and hydration. For example, a care plan noted, “Carer to ensure bed rails are correctly in place to prevent falls.” We noted where people may become distressed or anxious, they had a positive behaviour support (PBS) plan in place to manage their behaviour. The PBS plan detailed triggers and actions for staff to take to avoid escalation of behaviour which included offering redirection, reassurance and a debrief session after the event. We noted staff were advised to use physical intervention only for health and safety reasons and this consisted of a 2-person walking hold to a safe area.

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

People told us staff were mostly punctual and there had not been any missed visits. A person said, “They arrive on time always. They come on time and stay for the duration.” Another person said, “They come on time, they always turn up.” A relative told us, “This company are very prompt. We have had no issues with staff availability. Will get a call if they are going to be late.”

The registered manager told us there was a pool of staff allocated to each person using the service and no more than 3 staff could take annual leave at the same time. They explained this ensured there was always staff within the allocated pool of staff to cover the visits. The registered manager confirmed staff received training in safeguarding, whistleblowing, equality and diversity, mental capacity, and learning disability and autism including positive behaviour support. Staff confirmed they worked in small teams to ensure there were enough staff to cover visits. They told us there was enough time to support people. A staff member said, “Some service users need more time so I will tell my line manager and it is raised with the local authority.” Staff explained if there was time left over after all tasks were completed, they were encouraged to stay and spend time chatting with the person.

The provider had electronic monitoring systems in place to help ensure staff were punctual and stayed for the full amount of time allotted for each visit. In addition, unannounced spot checks are carried out by office staff to check on care staff’s punctuality for visits. The provider had a safe recruitment procedure in place including carrying out checks on applicants before they began employment. The checks included identification, health, references, right to work in the UK and criminal records.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Medicines optimisation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.