Candlelight Homecare Services Wimborne Area Office

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 procedures were in place to ensure people were protected from harm. Systems were in place to learn from events within the service, these systems were ongoing with further improvements planned to share learning between the provider's services. Risks were identified, assessed and instructions for staff to promote safe ways of working were in place. There were enough staff who were skilled to provide care and support, continuity of care was a focus of this service. People received medicines as prescribed, and improvements had meant practice was visible to the management team. Information about people’s needs was in place to ensure they could safely access other services. The provider's electronic care planning system was updated when things changed. Infection prevention and control measures were robust.

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 and their relatives told us they felt supported and safe at home. Staff helped them with their care needs by ensuring they followed safety guidelines. This had included reporting concerns and events such as slips, trips and falls.

Staff told us they reported any concerns to the deputy manager, and they took immediate actions. Staff were able to immediately record concerns into the electronic care planning system and this was followed up by the management of the service. Staff were confident any concerns and incidents would be followed up and this had worked well.

Records were made of accidents and incidents that occurred within the service. These were then shared and reviewed with the registered manager and provider to ensure all necessary actions had been taken.

People and their relatives told us they felt their service worked well with other health professionals such as the doctor and district nurses.

Staff and the registered manager told us they had good, working relationships with external professionals to ensure people’s needs were met well. Staff told us they could request GP support or medical help when needed for the person they were supporting, the management team were supportive of this.

Feedback received throughout the inspection was positive from professionals who worked and interacted with Candlelight Homecare Services Wimborne Area Office.

There were safe systems in place to ensure essential information was shared with health and social care professionals. The providers electronic care planning system produced a summary of people’s needs and requirements, this meant people received a safe transition between services, such as, transferring to hospital.

People told us they felt safe and happy with the care and support they received from Candlelight Homecare Services Wimborne Area Office. Relatives confirmed the service supported their loved one and gave them peace of mind. One person told us, “Staff always do what I want done, they have been coming for a while now, so they know how I like things done. They do everything well.” A relative said, “My loved one feels very safe with the carers.”

Staff knew how to ensure people were protected from harm and abuse. They told us how they would raise concerns both within the service and outside. Staff were confident the deputy manager and registered manager would follow up on any concerns and make the necessary referrals. Staff understood how to ensure people’s rights were fully respected and had received training in safeguarding adults, they completed updated training as required. The deputy manager and registered manager were clear about the process to follow to ensure people were protected and concerns were reported without delay.

Safeguarding policies and procedures were in place and staff knew the correct reporting procedures. Records showed safeguarding concerns were logged and any required action taken.

People and their relatives told us staff worked to keep them safe and understood their needs, people felt involved.

Staff told us they had enough information about people’s risks and detailed some of the risks the people they support faced each day. Safe ways of working were in place. A member of staff told us, “I firmly believe our clients are safe, risks are highlighted during the original assessment and shown on the information we see on our phones.”

Improvements had been made in the assessment and management of risk since our last inspection. People’s risks were assessed before they started to use the service and added to as needed. Risk assessments were created and maintained within the provider electronic care planning system, they were updated regularly and as things changed. The electronic care planning system meant updates could be made instantly. Further developments were being implemented during our inspection. All these measures contributed to the much improved and safe management of risk within the service.

People and their relatives told us staff worked in a safe way. People told us they were confident staff were trained and had made a thorough assessment of their home environment to ensure everything was safe.

The provider understood they must ensure an ‘as safe as possible’ environment for people and staff. Staff told us they had access to support via the telephone when they needed including outside of normal working hours. They told us they felt they could gain support when needed.

Environmental risk assessments were carried out to ensure staff had a safe working environment in people’s homes. Checks were maintained and consideration had been given to emergency situations such as fire or utilities failure, this included, safe evacuation. Records confirmed all people using the service had the necessary risk assessments and guidance for staff in place.

People were supported by a regular team of staff who knew them well. The deputy manager told us they tried to keep the same staff with people where possible. People and their relatives told us it was important to them to have regular staff. One relative told us about the service and said, “Staff are very caring, and they know my loved one off by heart, they encourage them to have a shower, they generally help them to keep safe. We both feel safe with the carers.”

Staff were complimentary about their colleagues, one staff member told us about working for the service and said, “They are a lovely company to work for. I have regular clients who are well looked after with kindness and respect. I have travelling time.” Staff told us they were supported and had received enough training within their induction and ongoing support to help them carry out their role well. Training was varied and covered all the subjects required for staff to carry out their duties safely. One staff member said, “Yes, I have enough training sessions on a regular basis which is always maintained.”

There were enough staff to meet the needs of people using the service. Staffing numbers were continually reviewed to balance with care hours needed, this contributed to safe planning. Training records showed staff were up to date with their mandatory training and attended regular updates to ensure their knowledge and skills were maintained. Supervision and appraisal records confirmed staff received the support they needed to deliver safe care. Staff were recruited safely, and recruitment records reflected this. Procedures were in place to ensure the required checks were carried out on staff before they commenced their employment. This included enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for adults. DBS checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the police national computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

People and their relatives told us the staff worked in a safe and clean way. They told us they did not have concerns about staffing in terms of infection control and keeping them safe as possible from avoidable infection. People and their relatives told us staff wore their personal protective equipment (PPE) when they needed to.

Infection prevention and control was a mandatory training subject which included regular updates. Staff were aware of the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. One member of staff said, “I have plenty of PPE and I can just go and get more from the office as and when I need it.”

Infection prevention and control procedures were in place, in line with the providers policy. Compliance with the infection control policy was observed during the providers spot checks in people’s homes, where staff demonstrated how to work in a safe and clean way.

People told us they received their medicines as prescribed. People were confident they received their medicines on time which their records confirmed.

Staff worked to ensure people had their medicines on time, where this was part of their care plan, visits were spaced to ensure safe administration was as per their prescription. Staff told us they received training, both theory and practical, together with ongoing competency checks to ensure safe practice. There was ongoing communication between people, staff, the management team and the pharmacy to ensure people were administered the correct medicines.

Safe procedures were in place for the administration of medicines. This included medicines taken occasionally where there was guidance in place to ensure consistency. Actions taken where there was an error, was immediate and effective to ensure people’s safety. Medicines were recorded on an electronic system; this provided a live record of administration. The system alerted the management team by email if medicines were late or not given, this enabled them to contact the staff member and find out what had happened. Changes to people’s medicines were able to be implemented immediately, this meant people always had their medicines as prescribed by the doctor. There was a medicines policy in place.