Red Rocks Nursing 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 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. The provider encouraged transparency about safety. Staff understood their responsibility to raise concerns and report incidents. Opportunities to learn from safety events were communicated to staff to help support improvement. One member of staff told us, “It’s a culture of learning and openness here, we sit down and talk about any incidents and what we can do to prevent it in the future, we discuss any risks to people.”

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. Processes were in place to help ensure that when people moved between services, key information about the person was included to help ensure continuity of care was met. For example, processes were followed to ensure relevant information was gathered and shared when people were admitted to, or discharged from, the home.

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 appropriately with the Local Authority.

However, the provider had not always reported ‘notifiable’ incidents to CQC. Under the duty of candour, providers must notify the CQC of any "notifiable safety incident" that resulted in death or severe/moderate harm. We discussed this with the provider who assured us they would be reported moving forward. The provider also assured us they would send in any notifiable incidents retrospectively.

Policies were in place to help ensure people’s safety, such as a whistleblowing and safeguarding policy. We looked at accident and incident records and found they were recorded appropriately with suitable actions taken in response to help reduce the risk of recurrence. Staff understood risks regarding abuse/and or person safety and were able to explain how they would report a safeguarding concern.

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. Risks to people had been appropriately identified and risk assessments provided guidance to staff on how to manage and mitigate. People were supported by staff who were familiar with their needs. Staff were able to tell us how they identified and managed risks to people, to help keep people safe from harm and potential abuse.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe when receiving care. Comments from people included, “I feel supported to manage things that might be risky”, “Yes I feel very safe here, I am supported to do things because I can’t walk” and “Oh yes I feel very safe here, they check on us in the night too.” Relatives commented, “I do feel that when I leave here, Mum is safe” and “I feel that [Name] is safe here.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Processes were in place to help ensure the safety of the environment. For example, risk assessments and checks of the environment were carried out to ensure the safety and well being of both people and staff. The provider used technology to help meet people’s needs were required. For example, for 1 person who was unable to use a standard call bell due to their compromised hand grip, a large flat buzzer had been sought which the person was able to use with ease.

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. Processes were in place to ensure staff were recruited safely and supported to perform their role in a safe and competent way. Staff completed an induction period, mandatory training and shadow shifts to further prepare them for their role. The provider ensured there was enough competent and skilled staff on duty. Staff told us they could access any additional training they felt they required to better meet people’s needs. One member of staff told us, “If I need any training to build up my skills, I ask and I get it.” The provider invested a lot of time recruiting staff who they believed would provide compassionate and safe care and would be the right fit for the home. The provider involved people in decisions about who would provide their care and support before they decided to hire potential new recruits. People and their relatives told us they thought staff were well trained and they had continuity of staff. Comments from people included, “The staff here are wonderful, very attentive and polite and I feel that they know their jobs and know me well,” and “I have faith in the staff and feel they have good training.” One relative commented, “The staff are consistently lovely here.”

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. Staff confirmed they had completed Infection Prevention Control (IPC) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) training and had access to IPC guidance. The home was clean, pleasantly decorated and well maintained. One person told us, “My room is very clean, we have to leave our rooms every couple of weeks, so they give it a good going over, it’s like a new pin when you come back in.”

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. Staff competency checks were completed to help ensure medicines were given to people safely and effectively. People told us they received their medicines safely and on time. One person told us, “They [Staff] are very good at giving me my pain relief tablets and I get my medication on time.” Where people expressed a wish to manage their own medicines, the provider involved them in risk assessment processes to support them to be as independent as possible.