Swifthand Care Services Limited

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 were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. People were supported to understand and manage risks around their care. Risk assessments and Care plans were clear and provided sufficient guidance to staff to keep people safe. There were sufficient and appropriately trained staff in place to support people. This service scored 63 (out of 100) for this area.

This service scored 59 (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.

Staff and managers were able to tell us how they assessed people that had been referred to the service through the care pathway, for example from hospitals or the community. They told us and records showed systems were in place to ensure people's safety and specific risks were assessed and monitored so that they knew how to provide care that was safe.

There were processes and systems established for care to be provided to people in a way that was safe and for the continuity of care upon entry to the service. People's needs, risks and preferences were assessed and people were involved in the process. The provider had procedures in place to ensure safe care was carried out and people received care from staff that was appropriate and delivered as required.

People told us their safety was assessed by the service so they could be provided the appropriate level of care for their needs. They felt safe with care staff, who understood their needs and risks. People told us the service worked with them to ensure their safety was monitored and managed. They also told us their needs were assessed upon entry to the service so they could be provided safe care.

Staff and leaders understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff understood the need to protect people's rights to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. Staff and managers told us they made sure they shared concerns quickly and appropriately should they identify people at risk of abuse. A staff member said, "I would report abuse immediately to the local authority."

People told us they felt safe with care staff and did told us they did not experience ill treatment or abuse. One person said, "Yes I do [feel safe] because my regular carer always asks if I want anything else. [Carer] is very kind and caring."

There were processes to protect people from the risk of abuse. The provider had a procedure for safeguarding adults so that concerns could be reported. The service worked with partner agencies such as local authority safeguarding teams. Staff were trained in safeguarding and had a good understanding about how to protect people from different forms of abuse. Staff knew how to report any concerns both at the service and to external authorities such as the local authority safeguarding team. The provider's safeguarding policy and processes were in line with relevant legislation. This ensured people were safeguarded from the risk of abuse and their rights were upheld.

People told us staff worked to protect them from coming to harm and had assessed their needs and risks. A person told us, "I feel very safe."

There were systems in place for staff to report concerns, incidents, and accidents. The registered manager had oversight of this so they were able to manage risks. The management team completed regular audits and risks were reviewed if there were changes to people's needs. Staff knew the risks to people well and told us they were kept up to date if there had been any changes to risk assessments. Staff completed training on medicines, health and safety, infection control and basic first aid to help ensure risks were mitigated as much as possible. Risks to people had been assessed and risk assessments had been put in place to help mitigate risks. These risks included area such as supporting people with their mobility, food and drink, medicines, health conditions and their personal care. People and relatives told us staff knew how to support them or their family members with known risks.

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

Staff told us the current staffing arrangements at the service were effective. Staff told us about the training they received and were knowledgeable about the topics they were trained in such as safeguarding, infection control, communication and moving and handling. Staff felt well supported by the management team and were able to discuss their work in supervision meetings and staff meetings.

There was an effective system in place for staff to be deployed in the community. Staff schedules and rotas showed there were appropriate staffing levels to meet people's needs. Staff working in the community visiting people in their homes were monitored using an electronic call monitoring system so that their timings could be tracked live. This enabled senior staff to check staff had arrived and logged in to their visit on time and stayed for the correct length of time. The management team were able to cover staff absence and sickness. Staff had completed training relevant to their roles and there were systems for the management team to identify and monitor staff training requirements. The provider recruited new staff in line with legislation to help ensure they were suitable for their job roles. For example, there were police and identity checks carried out on new staff and professional references were obtained. People told us there were enough staff to support them and staff arrived for care visits on time. They told us staff could be late due to traffic but they were informed by the service if their carer was going to be late. They also confirmed they were able to tell the service about their preferences and these were accommodated as much as possible. One person said, ''The carers are very good with their timing, with some arriving a little late due to not having a car. But they do stay as long as is needed, 45 minutes for each visit." Another person said, "The agency has contacted me if a carer is going to be late or I have to have another carer because my regular carer is on holiday etc."

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.