Caremark Northampton

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 inspection for this service. This key question has been rated good.​ ​ This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.​

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.

The service 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. When accidents and incidents occurred, staff took appropriate action, including seeking medical attention. The registered manager had a process in place to review incidents that occurred to identify any trends, patterns and lessons learnt and to share with staff to reduce risks to people.

The service 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.  People’s records of care were stored electronically which enabled the service to provide up to date information to healthcare partners when required.

The service 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 had received training in safeguarding and demonstrated an awareness and understanding of the types of abuse people may experience. Staff told us they would report any concerns to the registered manager. The registered manager understood their responsibilities in reporting safeguarding concerns to the relevant agencies, including the local authority.

The service provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. However, risks to people had not been fully documented to provide staff with information on how to manage and mitigate risks. The registered manager took action to address this during the assessment. Staff we spoke with demonstrated they understood how to mitigate risks to people. People and their relatives told us they were supported to stay safe in their own homes. A relative said, “[Person] is kept safe, when she has a shower there is a seat available for her to sit on. There are grab rails – their carer is always there at hand to help her”.

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.  Environmental risk assessments were carried out by the service to ensure any risks to people and staff were identified and mitigated. A relative told us, “There was a risk assessment, and rails were put into the bedroom and the bathroom”.

The service 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.  People did not experience missed or late care visits as staff rotas were effectively managed by the registered manager to ensure people’s needs were always met. Staff told us they had received training and ongoing support from the service to carry out their roles safely. Staff rotas were made available to people and their relatives which meant people had information on which staff member was going to support them for each of their upcoming care visits. A person told us, “The rota gets sent to me every week.”

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.  Staff had received training in controlling and preventing the spread of infections. Staff wore personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and aprons to reduce the risk and spread of infection. A relative said, “They (staff) have disposable gloves and aprons for personal care.”

The service 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.  Staff had received training to administer people’s medicines safely and as prescribed. People’s care plans provided information to staff about how to support a person to take their medicines.