Bentinck Crescent

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. The provider was no longer in breach of regulation in relation to consent to care and safe care and treatment, as identified at the previous inspection. This meant at this inspection, 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.

When things went wrong, there was evidence of lessons learned and this information being shared with the staff team. Debriefs took place following an incident to ensure best practice would be followed in future. Refresher training took place, when required. The manager had oversight of any safety concerns that occurred. Staff told us they felt confident to speak up if anything went wrong, so that it could be corrected accordingly.

Staff told us they received the appropriate training to be able to undertake their roles effectively. One staff member said, “We do lots of training and I am currently doing my level 3.”

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.

Care records documented people had access to a range of health and social care professionals, as needed, including GPs and social workers. Initial assessments were evidenced in individual files with the information utilised in the development of care plans.

Policies and procedure were in place to ensure a consistency of approach in the management of risk. There was an overall understanding of risk management within the staff team. Care plans contained detailed information on how to support people accordingly and reflected both the physical and mental health needs of people. Staff told us they knew people well and had a good understanding of people’s needs.

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.

Safeguarding processes were in place to record concerns and notifications to the local authority and CQC were made appropriately. Safeguarding training formed part of the induction and was discussed frequently within staff meetings. Refresher training was undertaken by staff. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of their responsibilities. Relatives told us staff treated people well and people felt safe at the service. People told us the staff were kind, and they trusted them.

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.

Risk assessments were in place and contained person-centred information. Staff told us they knew people well and how to best and safely support individuals. Risk assessments were clear, detailed and had been improved since the last inspection.

People communicated to us they felt safe with the care being provided, and daily records evidenced people were being supported safely.

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 environment was welcoming and homely with a calm and relaxing atmosphere. People’s bedrooms were personalised and designed to meet their needs. There was an ongoing environmental plan in place to ensure the home’s décor was fresh and updated. Communal spaces had been recently redecorated and this continued during our inspection.

There were policies and processes to ensure people were kept safe, although staff were unclear of the procedure to follow in the event of an evacuation. The registered manager acted immediately to address this and provided assurances that staff had been updated, and collaborative discussions had taken place.

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 had a robust process in place that made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support and development opportunities.

Families told us that their relatives received care and support from the same staff members, and that staff were trained and knowledgeable enough to meet their needs. A staff member said, “We have regular supervision, which is, supportive and helpful, it is very good”. Another staff member told us, “Our training and competencies are checked all the time”.

The provider followed safe recruitment systems and processes.

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.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) was made available to staff. Staff had received infection prevention and control (IPC) training. We observed staff wore the appropriate PPE. Regular IPC checks were undertaken, and the management team undertook regular audits to maintain good IPC compliance.

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.

The provider had an effective medicines administration system and staff understood how to administer and record the medicines for people on this system. Staff undertook weekly audits which identified issues and enabled any errors to be rectified. It was evident improvements had been made since the last inspection. However, some discontinued medicines had not been annotated correctly. The registered manager took immediate action to rectify the issue.

Care plans detailed people’s medicine and provided guidance to staff on side effects of the medicines people were being administered.

Families told us people received the required support with their medicines from staff and felt this was done safely and in a way that met their needs appropriately.