Crystal Social Care

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

This service scored 69 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a culture where they had prepared systems to develop a positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty, in which concerns about safety are listened to.

This was a very small service where there had been no safety incidents or complaints received. However, the registered manager was aware of formal and informal reporting processes, how to capture information, identify any trends or themes to ensure all incidents could be used as learning events for staff to prevent reoccurrences.

The provider 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.

The registered manager was aware of keeping people’s plans of care up to date and accurate to ensure continuity of care when needed. The registered manager was able to give examples of how they would work with partner agencies when people moved between services.

The registered manager had policies and procedures in place to ensure people were protected from harm and abuse.

A relative told us they felt their family member was safe. They told us, “There is no problems with safety.”

Staff had received safeguarding training and were aware of reporting protocols. They said, “I would call the registered manager straight away and I would use whistle blowing processes if needed.”

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

Care plans and risk assessments provided guidance for staff on how to manage potential risks, including those related to mobility. For example, exercises were included to support the person with their mobility. A staff member told us, “There is an emphasis on mobility risks and guidance is in place.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

The registered manager assessed risks to the environment, and these were recorded within the care plan. Whilst the example we viewed indicated a low-risk, information such as emergency shut off points were not included.

Staff received training and support to deliver care and support to people. However, some refresher training was required to ensure the provider was following their own policy for updating training.

Staff received supervision, appraisal and spot checks and told us they were supported by the registered manager. They said, “I do feel supported.” A relative we spoke with told us, “[Staff member] is well trained and does deliver good care.”

Pre-employment checks such as DBS and immigration checks, employment history, references and proof of the person's identity had been carried out as part of the recruitment process. This ensured staff were suitable and of good character before supporting people. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is a criminal record check that helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevents unsuitable people from working with vulnerable people.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

Policies and procedures were in place and the registered manager was aware of their responsibility to reduce risks.

The provider had policies and processes in place to ensure medicines were managed safely. However, at this time they were not administering medicines to people.

The registered manager said, “We would only use staff who were trained to administer medicines.”