Bishopsgate Lodge 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.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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. A person said, “They change things that don’t work. I’ve no complaints or safety concerns.”

Processes for investigating, analysing, and responding to accidents, incidents, complaints and safeguarding alerts were in place, with systems for families, people and staff to raise concerns or share views. People and their relatives were encouraged and supported to raise concerns and knew who to contact if they had any issues.

The provider had transition systems and processes for any person transferring to the service. Pre-assessment processes were in place, and a discharge process if a person was to transfer to another service. This ensured information was shared with others to support a smooth transition. Team meetings took place where aspects of the service were discussed, including any areas of risk.

The provider worked with external staff and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care. A person said, “They get the district nurse as sharp as they can, twenty-four hours, seven days a week.”

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 felt safe. One person said, “They protect me, of course, if I ask for something it’s there. I have comfort of mind.” Staff knew how to report concerns. We received a concern from a relative about the inappropriate language used by a member of care staff. The provider took this very seriously and were going to address this internally.

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. A person said, “It’s safety, first, last and always.”

Care records contained risk assessments, including supporting positive risk taking to ensure people could carry on living a fulfilling life. This included gardening and visiting community venues.People at risk of falling were fully monitored. A person at high risk of falls, said, “My running days are over, that’s why I’m here. I’ve not fallen 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.Regular checks of equipment took place and all equipment we reviewed was in working order. A person said, “My wheelchair is well looked after, they make sure everything is in the right place.” Documentation was in place to support regular servicing had taken place. The fire service had recently visited the service, and we found the provider had worked to address any issues and an action plan was in place to ensure this continued.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff. A person said, “They (staff) are mainly there in a few minutes (when called).” Another person said, “They (staff) do know what they are doing, they are confident, very much so.”

Safe recruitment procedures were followed. This included requesting references, and having a Disclosure and Barring Service check completed before new staff started working at the service. This was to be kept under review with a yearly staff self-disclosure completed. We gave feedback to the management team on some anomalies in references for a staff member. This was to be reviewed by the manager.

The provider was working to ensure staff received effective support, supervision and development as they had recognised they needed to improve this area. However, staff told us they felt supported by the management team. Staff worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs.

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. People and relatives thought the service was clean and tidy. A relative said, “They (staff) are spot on, clean and tidy.”

We gave feedback to the management team to review the use of PPE in kitchen areas as staff did not always follow best practice and use appropriate PPE when entering this area. The provider was going to address this immediately.

Medicines were generally managed well with people receiving them on time. A person said, “They manage them well, on time and regularly. They’ve never run out.”

There was no impact on people, but we discussed some updates to processes which would enhance systems and security, including ensuring body maps were completed fully for any patch applications applied and ordering a new tamperproof returned medicines container. We also discussed access to the medicines room and storage of thickeners (powder used for to add to drinks for people with swallowing difficulties). These issues were to be addressed by the provider immediately.

Any medicines incidents were appropriately reported and investigated, so measures could be put in place to prevent a recurrence and learning could be shared.