Springfield 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 service under the new provider. 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. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

People were kept safe from the risk of harm and abuse, by the governance processes in place at the service. The registered manager was open and transparent where incidents had occurred, ensuring these were promptly reported. Audits from incidents were reviewed, showing they prompted the management team to ensure a safeguarding referral had been made. Safeguarding inquiry outcomes were recorded, ensuring the management team could look at key themes and put lessons learned in place.

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.

When people moved into the service, the registered manager ensured a robust pre-admission document was completed. This ensured the service could meet all people’s identified needs.

The service ensured they worked in partnership with external health and social care partners, to achieve the best outcomes for people. Staff knew how to monitor people’s health conditions, to ensure timely referrals were made to other services. For example, where a person had experienced changes in their cognition and had been referred onto a specialist team for review.

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 were safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm, with the management team making prompt referrals to the local authority. The safeguarding records documented outcomes of safeguarding inquiries, so the service was able to show how they had changed their procedures as a result.

People told us they felt safe and were able to speak out if they thought they or others were at risk. One person told us, “Yes, I feel safe here. I’ve had no falls or other accidents.” A relative gave positive feedback about the safety of the service, they told us, “I feel my family member is safe. They have had no falls or other issues.”

Staff had received safeguarding vulnerable adults training and staff we spoke with understood their role in safeguarding people, and who to report concerns to.

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.

Staff had received training on how to support people’s individual needs. Some people at the service could become distressed. Staff had received training on how to support people when they became upset or anxious. We saw people were supported safely during our time at the service. Staff were timely in their responses towards people to ensure any distress did not escalate. People’s needs were clearly documented in their care plans, which meant staff had clear guidance on a person’s mental, physical, and social needs. Staff knew how to support people to manage risk. For example, where people had a risk of falls, staff supported mobilising or moving from a chair to a bed with the assistance of equipment.

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 provider had significantly invested in refurbishing the service to a high standard. We were shown around by the experienced maintenance manager, who was overseeing the ongoing work. The provider had a clear plan in place, with completion expected in the coming months. Where works had been completed, we found a safe and well finished environment, which was fully supportive of people living with dementia or mobility needs. Newly laid floor coverings were easy-clean and both natural and electric lighting were good, ensuring people could navigate easily within the building. There were currently no wall displays to provide visual stimulus, but these were planned on completion of the refurbishment.

Risk assessments relating to the environment were centrally located for accessible use in the event of an emergency. They included Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) and documents relating to the fire floor plan of the building.

The maintenance team described a clear process for monitoring environmental safety concerns. We saw there had been regular checks to ensure the home was safe in the event of a fire (for example, by carrying out practice drills. Systems were in place to ensure the water quality was maintained to reduce the risk of water-borne bacteria (like legionella.) The gas heating system was regularly serviced to prevent harm to people.

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 service was staffed by a sufficient number of staff, who were deployed within the service to enable people’s needs to be met. The staff training matrix showed all staff were trained and competent in subjects which the provider had identified as essential. Ongoing supervision and competency checks were in place, to ensure staff were implementing their training into practice.

The provider followed a robust recruitment process. Staff had been safely recruited with appropriate references and Disclosure and Barring checks (DBS) in place prior to their appointment. This meant the registered manager could be assured that people were protected from the risk of potential abuse from unsafe staff. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

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.

The provider had improved their infection prevention and control processes, to reduce any risks to people. The service was kept clean and well maintained, by an experienced domestic and maintenance team.

People and their relatives gave positive feedback about the improved cleanliness of the building and their personal spaces. A relative told us, “Yes, my family member is safe now at the home. They feel at home here and are comfortable. Their bedroom used to smell but it doesn’t now.” Another relative explained, “My family member is definitely safe here. I believe they have always received safe care. Their bedroom has been re-vamped and it’s clean, fresh and appears much brighter.”

The management team had action plans and audits in place to ensure a robust approach to infection, prevention and control. Staff we spoke with understood the importance of maintaining high standards and ensuring the risk of infection was reduced.

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 stored, administered and managed safely. The clinic room was clean and tidy, with space for the safe storage of medicines deliveries and those being returned. Staff involved in handling medicines followed best practice for the administration, recording and storage of medicines.

People and their relatives had no concerns regarding medicines, which they told us were given correctly, as people preferred and on time. We observed staff asking about a person’s pain levels and then explaining to people what their medicines were prior to administering them. Photographs of people and any allergies were clearly recorded at the front of their medicines administration records. ‘As required' medicines protocols, and body maps for the application of topical medicines, were well documented.