Normanton Lodge 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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm. The service was no longer in breach of regulation relating to safeguarding.

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 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.

There was an open and positive culture around reporting safety incidents or concerns. Staff had responded to an incident, and we reviewed their incident reporting for this event. Staff had identified what had led to the incident and it had been reviewed by the registered manager who had identified further steps to help reduce the risk of any recurrence. We reviewed other reports made for accidents, incidents and near misses. These had been consistently reviewed by the registered manager and demonstrated a learning culture had been embedded in the service.

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.

People knew they could see the visiting GP when needed. One person told us, “You only have to ask if you want to see them and staff will get you an appointment.” Records showed the involvement of other healthcare professionals such as District Nurses and Speech and Language Therapists. This helped to ensure people received the care they needed.

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 felt cared for safely and were able to talk to staff if they were worried about anything. Staff understood how to identify potential signs of abuse and knew how to raise safeguarding referrals. Leaders had oversight of any safeguarding referrals and the outcome of these.

When people did not fully understand any decisions relating to their care or treatment, guidance was followed to ensure decisions were made in their best interests. When restrictions were in place to help keep people safe, the appropriate legal safeguards had been applied for.

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.

People told us they had the equipment they needed to help them stay safe. For example, one person told us they used their footstool to elevate their legs. Another person said, “I always have my walker with me, and staff always check where I am going and whether I have it.”

Staff understood any risks relating to people’s care and how to monitor these for changes. This included how staff assessed if people were in any discomfort when they may not communicate this verbally. Records showed staff sought advice if people’s conditions changed and emergency healthcare services were contacted when needed and without delay.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment and facilities supported the delivery of safe care. However, the technology used for people’s care plans and risk assessments had not yet been embedded to enable it to fully support people’s care. The provider was aware of how the technology needed to improve and had action plans in place to work towards achieving this.

There were safety features throughout the home environment and checks had been completed on equipment used and actions taken to ensure fire safety and the safety of utilities. Dementia friendly features had been planned to help people living with dementia orientate themselves. For example, areas of the home were decorated with particular themes, bathroom doors were painted the same colour with clear signage and people had memory prompts by their own bedroom doors.

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.

One person told us, “Staff come to check on me and I do have a call bell, and they come to that.” Another person told us they understood staff sometimes would be helping other people. They said, “Sometimes we have to wait but if we really needed them, they would be there.” Leaders made regular checks on the time it took staff to respond to people when they used their call bells to ensure people received timely assistance from staff. We observed staff were present throughout all areas of the home and we observed staff to respond quickly when people needed assistance.

Checks had been made to ensure staff recruited were suitable to work in care. Staff received training relevant to the needs of people using the service. However, we observed not all staff had followed the principles of safe moving and handling when assisting one person. No harm resulted and leaders took immediate action to remind all staff of best practice.

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 told us they were happy with the standards of cleaning in their home and in their bedrooms. Staff were cleaning throughout our inspection and told us they had the equipment and supplies they needed. Leaders checked the standard of cleaning throughout the home to ensure expected standards were met. Policies were in place to help prevent and control infection.

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Medicines were managed and administered in line with good practice guidelines. Medicines were stored safely and at the recommended temperature. People told us they could manage their own medicines if they wanted to and when staff helped them with their medicines, they had no concerns with this. One person told us how staff had helped ensure their medicines were kept safe. Staff checked if people needed any pain relief alongside their regularly prescribed medicines and checked the correct time interval had been left between doses. Where people had medicine prescribed for ‘as and when needed,’ guidelines were in place to help ensure these were administered consistently.