Cergus Prime Care Durham and Sunderland

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 inspection of this service. This key question has been rated 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. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. When accidents and incidents occurred, staff took appropriate action. The registered manager had a process in place to review incidents that occurred. They identified any trends, patterns and lessons learnt and shareed with staff to reduce 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. Systems were in place to ensure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. The registered manager visited people to assess people’s needs and agree the level of support people needed.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. Staff and leaders had received training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities in reporting safeguarding concerns to the appropriate agencies. A staff member commented, “If I had any concerns, I would report them.”

The registered manager had completed risk assessments for people and had put measures in place to mitigate those risks. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs which was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. A relative commented, “[Name] is well looked after and safe in their [staff] care.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Risks associated with people’s individual environments were assessed before staff started supporting people within their homes.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. Staff received training and ongoing support from the service to carry out their roles safely. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. Rosters were managed effectively so people received care when they needed it. Staff told us rosters were well-managed. People received care from a reliable and consistent team. A relative commented, “I am so pleased with the consistency, we have the same carers.” Safe recruitment practices were followed to help ensure people were protected from staff unsuitable to work in the care sector.

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 told us they had access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) they required, and people confirmed staff wore this when required. Staff received infection control training and competency checks.

There were policies and processes in place to ensure people received their medicines safely. Staff received training and competency checks to observe how they managed people’s medicines safely. A staff member commented, “I have done safe handling of medicines training.”