Custom Care - Wolverhampton

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

Medicines were managed in a safe way by staff who had been trained to administer these. There was a system in place to ensure people received their medicines when needed and when areas of improvement had been identified these had been actioned. People and relatives were mainly happy with how their medicines were managed.

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.

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

We did not look at Involving people to manage risks during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

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

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

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.

The feedback we received from people and relatives was mainly positive, however some people did share areas of improvement. One person told us about a recent incident where their cream had not been applied by a new member of staff, they told us they had contacted the office, and this had been resolved. Another person said, “The new staff could do with a bit of extra training.” Other people and relatives provided us with positive feedback. A person told us, “They (the carer) do a fantastic job, I have been with them for over 4 years. They are competent to dispense the medication and I have no concerns. They do a review every month”. A relative said, “I cannot fault them. They go above and beyond. Everybody’s got the knowledge how to give it (medicines) to him.”

We spoke with the registered manager and area manager about the systems that were in place to manage medicines safety. They were able to talk us through the procedures in place including when people started using the service, when people were refusing medicines and when medicines errors occurred. The registered manager explained how they ensured staff had initial training in medicines management, completed an annual refresher training and had their competency checked at least every 6 months to ensure they were safe to administer medicines to people. The registered manager also explained to us the process that was followed if a medicines error occurred, including retraining staff and completing a further competency with them. The area manager and the registered manager shared examples of how they monitored the administration of medicines for people and how they used this information to bring learning into the service. They told us about an improvement plan that they created following a review of medicines administration. Staff spoke confidently about the support they received with medicines. They told us they had received training, and their competency was checked. They were able to tell us what to do if they had any concerns, people refused their medicines, or they came across an error. One staff member told us, “I feel very confident to administer medicines and have been completing for a few years. I have yearly training and the team come out and check my competency about twice a year. We have themed supervisions where medicines are covered, and we are always getting reminders or learning if things have gone wrong”. Another staff member said, “I am aware some people have ‘as required’ medicines and this is on the app you can check when they need it and if they can have it if someone asks for a paracetamol”.

Records we reviewed confirmed people received their medicines when needed. When people had refused or had not received their medicines there was a clear action in place that identified the reason for this. This was then reviewed by the management team to identify any trends and take the required action. For example, when people continued to refuse medicines there was evidence other professionals had been alerted to the concerns. We saw when people had ‘as required’ medicines these were administered as prescribed and there were clear plans in place offering staff guidance as to when people may need these medicines. Staff had received training, and their competency was checked to ensure they were safe to administer medicines to people. All medicines were reviewed weekly by staff as part of a ‘task’ when they were supporting people, this was to ensure the records were up to date. The audits in place were effective. The quality checks ensured any concerns or errors were identified quickly so that appropriate action could be taken. The provider regularly shared information with staff around medicines management, including any findings or reminders and prompts. For example, a memo had recently been sent which reminded staff what codes to use on the medicines administration records.