Salisbury House Residential 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 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.

The provider encouraged transparency and openness 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 and prevent recurrence. One member of staff told us, “We discuss any incidents on the message board and handovers, we make changes and learn from this.”

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.

The provider worked with different agencies; processes were followed and relevant information was gathered and shared to help ensure continuity of care was maintained, for example, when people were admitted to the service from their own homes and/or hospital.

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.

Systems and processes were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff had completed safeguarding training and were confident about reporting any concerns about people's safety. One member of staff confirmed, “If I suspected any abuse I would inform my manager right away. I know how to escalate outside of the home too.”

People and their family members told us they were confident staff provided safe care. People told us, “Yes, I feel very safe here” and “I feel safe being here.” A relative confirmed, “When I leave, I feel that [Name] is safe.”

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 were identified and measures were in place to minimise the risk of harm to people. One member of staff told us, “People are kept safe because staff know people well.”

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

Regular safety checks were carried out on the environment and equipment, to ensure both people and staff were kept safe. There were gardens to the front and rear of the property where people enjoyed spending time in the outdoors.

The home was in the process of a refurbishment which included the replacement of carpets in addition to painting and decorating. Some people shared rooms and this had been fully assessed upon their admission to the home.

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 recognised high-quality care was achieved when the staff delivering it knew the people they supported well. The provider recruited staff on the basis of them being a right fit for the home. This started at the process of recruitment.

Staff completed a thorough induction which included mandatory training. Staff were able to request any additional training or more bespoke training to better meet people’s needs. One staff member told us, “If I need any additional training, I can ask for it.”

The provider had implemented shift patters which overlapped, for example during handover between the morning and night staff. This helped to provide greater support during busier periods of the day when people required more assistance, such as mornings and evenings.

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 had completed training in the prevention and controlling of infection and had access to best practice guidance to help support their practice. The provider employed domestic staff to ensure high standards of cleanliness throughout the home. During our inspection we observed the home was clean, hygienic and well maintained.

One person commented, “It’s nice and clean everywhere.” A relative confirmed, “It’s always spotless here.”

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.

Medicines were safely managed. Medication administration records (MARs) were kept up to date. Medicines policies and procedures and other best practice guidance was available to staff to help inform and promote good practice.

Staff with responsibilities for managing medicines had completed training and underwent regular competency checks.