Primrose Bank Care Home

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

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.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty.

Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. If accidents happened these were reviewed to identify if changes could be made to minimise the risk of recurrence. We saw evidence that additional equipment was introduced to support people’s safety if this was needed, and staff told us they were informed of any changes made. Relatives commented, “[Family member] is perfectly safe and has said they feel safer here,” and “I got that feeling the people are safe when I first came in,– it just felt right, and when [Family member] first came in, they felt it was right too.”

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.

Prior to people moving into the service, a pre-admission assessment was carried out to ensure the service could meet people’s needs. Relatives told us if their family member needed support from a health professional, this was arranged and documentation we saw evidenced this. If people required admission to hospital, detailed and person-centred information to support health professionals to make decisions was provided.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff 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 provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately.

People told us they felt safe. Comments we received included, “I am perfectly safe. With all the trouble going on in the world I am safer in here” and “I am very safe; they look after us well.”

Staff were able to confidently explain the reasons they may make a safeguarding referral to the safeguarding authority and how they would do this. Staff told us they would raise concerns with the management team in the first instance so immediate action could be taken. One staff member commented, “I’m confident anything I said would be acted on.”

There was a policy to guide staff on the process to take if they had concerns, and information on how concerns could be raised was available within the service. Relatives we spoke to raised no concerns regarding the safety of their loved ones. One relative commented, “It’s a supremely safe home.”

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.

Staff completed risk assessments to identify if people were at risk of falls, malnutrition and to assess the risk of people developing pressure damage to their skin. These were reviewed when required and risk controls were in place if needed. One person shared their experience with us. They told us they had discussed with staff, the best way for them to maintain their safety while remaining independent. They said, “They helped me understand the safe way for me.”

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 provider ensured equipment was serviced and checked by external contractors to help maintain its safety. We saw evidence that fire equipment, gas servicing, lifting equipment and electrical safety checks were completed as required by regulation.

Each person at the home had a personal emergency evacuation plan. This is a document that describes the help a person will need to evacuate the service in an emergency. This was available to staff and there was a business continuity plan in place to ensure staff had immediate guidance on how to respond to emergencies.

Decoration within the home was clean and fresh and the environment was free from obvious hazards.

The provider 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.

The provider followed recruitment procedures to ensure all required checks were completed before staff started work at the service. Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were carried out. DBS checks provide information about convictions and cautions held on the police national computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

The provider used a dependency tool to help assess the number of staff required to support people. People told us, “At night I have [pressed the buzzer] and they have always been very quick.” and “they are always busy, but they are good.” During the assessment we saw people were helped quickly if they needed support and staff were calm and supported people with patience and understanding.

Staff told us they had regular supervision and appraisals. They said these were useful and enabled them to discuss training, their performance, and any concerns they had. They told us this was a supportive process which enabled them to spend time with management on a one-to-one basis.

Staff told us and we saw documentation which showed, staff had effective support and development opportunities. Staff received regular training and updates to ensure their knowledge and skills remained current. Completion of training was monitored by the registered manager who identified any shortfalls and took action to ensure training was completed.

Staff who had the role of a ‘champion’ within the service received additional training to enable them to fulfil this role. A champion is a staff member who takes on a specific role to improve the quality of care in a particular area. We spoke with the nutrition and hydration champion who told us they had received additional training and attended relevant conferences so they could support people and staff to access best practice information.

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.

People were supported in an environment that was clean and hygienic. Relatives told us, “It is very clean. It never smells of a care home.” and “the carpet is spotless. If something is spilled or dropped it is cleaned up straight away.” A person commented, “The home is always clean and the chairs are cleaned every night so they are dry and fresh for the next day.”

A dedicated housekeeping team worked to maintain cleanliness in all areas of the service. Personal protective equipment was available throughout the home, and we saw staff used this appropriately. The provider had invested in the installation of a sluice. This is a closed area which is used solely for the disposal of human waste. This demonstrated the provider had recognised and followed best practice guidance.

Regular checks and audits were completed to identify any shortfalls, and action was taken to drive improvement.

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Staff involved people in planning, including when changes happened. People told us, “I take a lot of medication, and I always get it at the same time every day. They just give it to me, I don’t know what I am taking but I am sure I get what I need I have every confidence in them” and “all is good.”

Medicines were stored safely, including those that required cold storage and extra security. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. If people took medicines on an “when required” basis, written instruction to help staff identify when these should be administered was available. Appropriate arrangements for the ordering and disposing of medicines were in place and known by staff.

A variety of regular medicines audits were carried out and any shortfalls were identified with actions taken to minimise the risk of re-occurrence.