Green Willow Care 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 as 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.

Staff were trained and skilled to provide safe care. Regular handovers and staff meetings ensured knowledge and experiences were shared. The service used Quick Release (QR) codes on each person’s door to ensure their daily notes were updated in real time. This included incidents and accidents. The provider evidenced that, when concerns arose, they were actioned and dealt with quickly and efficiently. This ensured that people were not in discomfort or at risk of avoidable harm.

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 registered manager explained how the service worked with appropriate healthcare professionals to ensure safe and effective care. Records evidenced the service had good working relationships with health and social care professionals. This included GP’s, care agencies and district nurses to ensure that information was available when moving between services to ensure a smooth transition process.

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.

The registered manager ensured any concerns were raised with the local authority safeguarding team and the CQC. The provider had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies in place and the service had regular safeguarding training. Regular audits were completed where different staff members were chosen to test their knowledge to ensure learning was retained. The service ensured families were kept informed when an incident happened. A family member informed us their relative had an unwitnessed fall and stated, “The [provider’s] response was professional, caring and exemplary. The person was checked by staff, referred to the [clinical team], taken to hospital for a check-up and brought back later that day to their specially prepared room. We were in touch with [staff] throughout, which was deeply reassuring.”

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 at the home were encouraged to remain active and continue to live their lives in the way they chose. Risk assessments were in place in accordance with people’s needs and goals. For example, one person wanted to access the local community service on their own without taking their phone. The person had capacity, but this was risk assessed and had been successful, resulting in the person having their independence and improving their wellbeing.

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 home was well designed to enable people to move about safely. The home was kept clutter free so that people could walk the corridors and a large garden where people could enjoy gardening and enjoy the koi carp pond. The main communal area was consistently in use by people socialising or taking part in activities. Maintenance audits ensured that relevant safety checks were completed. Leaders ensured staff had fire training to safely evacuate people in the event of a fire.

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.

During our inspection, we observed enough staff to support people safely. There was a calm atmosphere, and people were not rushed. One person told us, “The staff seem to know what they are doing.” Staff told us they had enough time to carry out their duties. A staff member told us, “I think we have enough staff, we get busy, but we always have cover. We support each other as a team.” Staff received regular training and support to ensure they were skilled in their role.

The provider had a robust recruitment policy, and pre-employment checks were completed on all prospective staff. These included proof of right to work in the UK, previous employment references and criminal records checks.

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.

Processes were in place to minimise risk and spread of infection. Staff were observed to appropriately wear personal protective equipment (PPE). Staff had training in infection control. Competency checks were completed by leaders on a regular basis. Cleaning schedules were in place to help ensure the home was cleaned and the registered manager had good oversight of these. The premises was visibly clean during our inspection.

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.

People received their medicines safely. A person told us, “They give me my tablets in the morning, they’ve never missed them.” Staff were aware of the timings of people’s medication and how they liked to take them. This was recorded clearly using the electronic medication administration record (EMAR). EMAR was also used to complete regular audits. Staff followed the provider’s policies for storing and safe disposal of medication. Staff were competent to undertake specialised tasks such as testing blood sugar levels. We observed staff support people sensitively and with compassion. Staff and management engaged in regular reviews. A professional said, “Staff are highly engaged with the medication review process and clearly understand its importance.”