Horizon Homecare (Southern) Ltd

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 safe and protected from harm, procedures in place meant risks were managed well. There were enough staff who were skilled to provide care and support. People received medicines as prescribed. Lessons were learnt from events within the service. 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.

Accidents and incidents were recorded in people’s records and care plans were updated where necessary following any incident. Events were analysed in order to identify themes and trends, for example, one person had frequent falls, in this case a review of their care was requested, additional support put in place and falls reduced.

Learning lesson from events that happened was extremely obvious within the service. Events were recorded, and discussed to prevent reoccurrence, this often meant by making improvements using a collaborative approach. All necessary actions for safety were maintained and were reflected in the records held by the service.

People were confident in the team at Horizon Homecare (Southern) Limited. The provider had been transparent with the people using the service about the necessary improvements made. There was a culture of learning, evaluating and improvement.

Staff worked well with external professionals, sharing information to ensure people’s care needs were met. Feedback received during the assessment was extremely positive about the registered managers engagement with external agencies. External partners were complimentary about the improvements made within the service in particular the commitment to resolving issues and concerns.

People’s needs, and care requirements were detailed within their care plans and risk assessments. An electronic care planning system meant records and information were up to date and could be immediately adapted. Continuity of care was essential for people using the service, a summary version of needs and care requirements were downloaded when the person went into hospital or another care service.

People and their relatives were assured their personal information was shared as part of their joined-up care. They were involved in decisions and their opinions valued.

People were supported by a dedicated wellbeing team whose focus was on their medical and wellbeing needs. People and their relatives knew who to speak with at the service. The dedicated team dealt with all health and social care appointments, medicines ordering, queries, and changes. This had a positive impact on the service as roles were clearly defined.

Safeguarding procedures were robust; a policy was in place and staff knew the correct reporting procedures. Staff had received safeguarding training and in addition to this there were frequent reminders on the electronic systems and through emails and meetings. Records showed all safeguarding concerns were logged, correctly followed up and outcome sought where possible. Feedback received during planning confirmed the service worked well with their safeguarding partners.

People told us they felt safe with the care they received from Horizon Homecare (Southern) Limited. A person told us, “Staff come in and know what to do and know where things are.” A relative told us, “The company has been amazing.” People and their relatives felt happy to raise concerns with any of the staff or the office staff if needed.

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 registered manager would follow up any concerns and make the necessary referrals. Staff understood how to ensure people’s rights were fully respected and had received training in safeguarding, dignity, and respect. The registered manager was clear about the process to follow to ensure people were protected and concerns were reported and investigated without delay. A member of staff told us, “I do believe that our clients are safe. I believe the team in the office do a fantastic job and go above and beyond to make sure they are safe.”

People’s risks were assessed before the service commenced. Risk assessments were update regularly or as things changed. Records showed various updates took place, for example, when a person returned home after a stay in hospital. An electronic care planning system meant updates could be made instantly, this meant staff were referring to the most up to date information about people. All of these measures contributed to robust safety with the management of risk.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe, and their risks were assessed and planned for. One person told us, “Staff know what I can do and what I can’t do.” People and their relatives where appropriate felt involved in planning for their needs in relation to risks and keeping safe. A relative said, “I have no concerns, the service always takes on board what we have to say.”

Staff told us they understood people’s risks and how to keep them safe. People had detailed and robust assessments for their individual risks, such as, choking, falls and where equipment was used to support movement. Risks to staff were assessed and managed. One member of staff told us, “We have the correct tools to work in a safe environment and to make sure our clients are safe.” Another told us, “Prior to assessment we use the information we must identify any potential risks, this may change during our assessment. We are happy to receive more information on a person’s risks as this helps us provide the best care.”

People told us staff worked in a safe way. Everyone we spoke with was confident staff were trained and had made a thorough assessment of their home environment. One person told us staff had helped them with arranging things in their kitchen to make it safer for them to move around on their own.

Ensuring a safe environment was critical within the service. Staff told us they were properly trained, and this included lone worker training. People and staff had access to support via the telephone when they needed including out of normal working hours.

Assessments were carried out to ensure staff had a safe working environment in people’s homes. Equipment checks were maintained where it was used, and consideration had been given to emergency situations such as fire or utilities failure. Records confirmed all people using the service had the necessary risk assessments and guidance for staff in place.

Staffing numbers had been planned to meet people’s needs and provide care and support safely. Continual assessment was carried out to balance the staff numbers with care hours available to be able to support new people in their own homes. Training records showed staff were up to date with their mandatory training and attended regular refresher training to ensure their knowledge and skills were kept updated. 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.

Staff received the training and supervision to ensure they worked within the values of Horizon Homecare (Southern) Limited. The service values were threaded through the training and support staff received. ‘Care at our Core’ was at the heart of the service. Staff who worked for the service embraced those values and the registered manager told us they were proud of every member of the team. Staff told us they had received a wide variety of training to be able to carry out their role effectively. A member of staff told us, “The deputy manager [name] tasks staff with brilliant and in-depth training.” Another staff member said, “We definitely have enough training both at the office and online.”

People and their relatives told us there were enough staff working at the service. People were supported by a regular team of staff who knew them well and understood their needs. The registered manager told us keeping the same staff with people where possible was always their goal. People told us continuity of staff was important. One person told us how important this was to them and said, “Staff were a very good steady bunch, you don’t have to tell them what to do.”

Everyone was responsible for infection prevention and control; staff had received training with regular updates. Due to the pandemic in recent years infection prevention had become more in depth, training and procedures were more robust. Everyone was more aware of the importance of cleanliness and hygiene.

Infection prevention and control procedures were robust, underpinned by a comprehensive policy. Staff had access to plentiful supplies of PPE. Adherence to the infection control policy was observed during monitoring checks in the community where staff demonstrated how to work in a safe and clean way in people’s homes.

People and their relatives told us the staff worked in a clean and organised way; they did not have concerns about staffing in terms of infection control. People confirmed staff wore their personal protective equipment (PPE) when needed.

People received their medicines as prescribed. There were safe procedures in place for ordering, storage, and administration of medicines. People were confident they received their medicines on time and records reflected this.

Staff worked safely to ensure people had their medicines on time, visits were scheduled in line with medicine requirements. Staff received training, both theory and practical together with ongoing checks to ensure safe practices. Records confirmed this had taken place. The service had a ‘wellbeing’ team whose primary role was to ensure all changes to medicines were implemented safely and accurately. The team communicated with the surgery and pharmacies to ensure people has the right medicines at the right time and was safe.

Safe procedures were in place for the administration of medicines. This included medicines taken occasionally and those which had required stricter handling as required by law. There was detailed and robust policy and procedure in place and the service were complying with it.