Bury Council - Falcon & Griffin Extra Care Scheme

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 69 (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.

Monthly performance reports were completed, which analysed all areas across the service, including accidents and incidents or medication errors. An action plan had been put in place where areas of learning and improvement could be made.

Staff said they were kept informed through handovers and team meetings. One staff member commented on a recent issue, adding, “A plan was put in place to avoid any repeated errors and documentation was updated.” Feedback was also received from an external professional about the responsiveness of managers and staff, adding, “My team has found them to be open to feedback and willing to work collaboratively to resolve issues or improve practice."

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.

Where necessary, staff assisted people to access relevant healthcare support, if needed. A visiting professional told us staff had worked collaboratively with other professionals in meeting a person’s increased support needs. Staff were described as responsive, providing flexible and compassionate support.

Support was provided for people moving to Falcon and Griffin. Individual needs assessments were provided when people were referred to the service, which helped determine the suitability of placements. Feedback was received from a social care professional who had assisted someone to move into Falcon and Griffin. We were told, “Staff were proactive in making the person feel welcome, arranging pre-move visits, and inviting them to a social event, which helped in their decision to move in."

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 who used the service and their relatives said the service was safe. We were told, “I feel happy and safe with the carers” and “I have no worries about the care team she loves it there.”

Staff had access to policies and procedures, as well as training, helping to guide then in areas such as safeguarding adults, whistleblowing and accident and incident reporting.

Staff spoken with were able to demonstrate their understanding of safeguarding procedures and action required if they had any concerns. Staff told us they would report any issues to management. One staff member told us, “I am confident they [managers] will act on information. I know they do because we get feedback, and it is then discussed in team meetings too.”

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 and their relatives told us staff supported them in keeping safe. One relative said they were reassured their family member was kept safe when their needs changed. We were told, “[Person] safety was always a priority, using the key safe when requested as his mobility deteriorated. With attentive monitoring, making sure he wore his pendant, checking the pull cord was working, and most importantly to him, that his phone was charging.”

A review of records showed assessments included areas of potential risk and the use of equipment. People’s care records were personalised and provided information about their needs and wishes. However, some information needed to be expanded upon, providing further guidance for staff. We were aware that records were being transferred to an electronic system, and information was to be updated and expanded upon.

Staff said they knew what to do in the event of an emergency. In relation to fire safety, we saw personal emergency evacuation plans were in place to help staff evacuate people in an emergency.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

People lived safely in self-contained flats and bungalows, which had been suitably adapted to meet their individual needs. One person told us how they had been supported by the blind society due to their sensory needs. People said staff helped them to keep their home and equipment safe.

Staff completed training in areas of health and safety. Further fire marshall training was to be provided to support staff in the event of an emergency arising.

The service worked in partnership with the housing provider responsible for the upkeep of the properties. Recent work had been completed to upgrade roofing to Falcon and Griffin houses, as well as a new fire alarm and warden call system. In addition, communal areas were to be redecorated, and quotes were being sought for new carpeting and furniture. Feedback from one of the housing professionals included, “The physical environment at both Falcon and Griffin is consistently clean, well-maintained, and welcoming. Communal areas are bright, comfortable, and accessible, and individual flats are adapted to meet the needs of tenants.”

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.

People spoke positively about the staff and the care and support they received. People and their relatives told us, “The staff know me and understand my needs” and “I find them to be friendly and respectful to [person] and were there at the times they were expected.” However, 2 people said staff were sometimes late, or did not always stay the agreed length of time. We were told further staff were to be recruited, helping to provide more flexibility in support. Issues raised were to be explored further.

A timetable of support was planned between the hours of 8am and 10pm. Night staff were no longer on-site but available via the emergency warden call system. We were told people and their relatives had been involved in the consultation process when making changes to the night staffing arrangements.

A review of staff files showed that relevant pre-employment checks had been carried out. Additional information had been sought for agency staff working at the service.

The staff team was stable, with some members of the team having worked for the service for many years. Staff said they were well supported by managers and felt there was good teamwork. One staff member told us, “There’s an open-door policy in the office and group chat so we can keep each other informed. It feels this is easy with the team being so small and very settled, little turnover.” Staff said communication was effective and they were kept informed through the handovers and team meetings.

A programme of training and support was in place, which was confirmed by staff. We were told, “The training's been good. There's lots of online training but also face-to-face training in topics such as health and safety, food hygiene, moving and handling, and first aid.” Another staff member said further training in catheter care was to be provided to support the specific needs of someone living at Falcon and Griffin.

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.

Systems were in place to promote good hygiene standards. Relevant training and policies and procedures were available to guide staff in areas such as health and safety, food hygiene, and infection control. Staff also said they had access to personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and aprons.

People were supported with the prescribed medicines. Care plans needed further information to reflect people’s needs, capacities, and preferences.

Not everyone required support with their prescribed medicines. People we spoke with said they received prompts and support to take their medication. One person prescribed time-specific medicines, said, “Staff come five times a day to bring my tablets. They pass my medicine to me and make sure I take it.” Another person said, “They give me my medication. It is delivered to the office, and they bring it; it’s always there.

As part of the review of care records, further information was to be added to the plans in relation to the support people needed in the management and administration of their prescribed medicines.

Information showed where medication errors had occurred, staff were required to complete additional training, and spot checks were completed to make sure practice was safe. Learning from any issues were discussed in the group chat and in team meetings. We found several medication errors had been made by agency staff. There was no information to show how this had been addressed to help minimise further incidents.

Staff had received training in the safe administration of medicines. One staff member said, “I do give medication and have had training. We bring medication and MAR sheets to the office, and they [managers] check if everything matches and is correct."