Prestige Nursing East Lancs

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.

Staff knew how to identify and record incidents, took necessary actions and informed the correct people. The registered manager reviewed incidents and discussed these at regular governance meetings. Incidents were reviewed for themes and trends to ensure lessons were learned and changes made to practice if required.

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.

Several packages of care required staff to work alongside different healthcare partners, such as when children transferred from children’s services to adult’s services. This could be a difficult and stressful process and staff were able to support people and their relatives through this journey. At the start of any package of care, full assessments were undertaken and involved all the right people to make sure detailed information about people’s likes and dislikes, and health needs were obtained.

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 provider had an up-to-date safeguarding policy which contained relevant information to guide staff. Staff completed safeguarding training and knew how to raise concerns. The registered manager worked well with the local authority and made sure recommendations from safeguarding investigations were implemented and monitored. The provider did not support anyone who was subject to court of protection directions, however they understood the legislation and recognised the need to consider this if necessary.

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.

The registered manager undertook comprehensive risk assessments which contained guidance for staff about how to manage risks. These were reviewed every 6 months or when there was a change in circumstances.

Staff undertook training in positive ways to support people with a learning disability and knew how to support people effectively when they were experiencing distress. Staff considered what contributed to someone’s distress, so they could minimise the risk of this occurring again in the future.

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 registered manager undertook environmental risk assessments, and staff checked that equipment was in good condition before they used it, and that servicing was in date. Staff reported any defects to the provider to make sure arrangements were made with the responsible persons to address. Information was available about how to support 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.

We checked several recruitment files and found the provider followed safe recruitment practices.

Staff teams were consistent and the provider did not rely on agency staff. The registered manager and other leaders were committed to matching the right staff with people, so that people felt safe and comfortable.

Training compliance was high; staff commented that training was of a high standard, and the provider encouraged and supported access to extra training to complement knowledge. People felt confident with staff, 1 person said, “They have to move me with a hoist which they understand how to use, and I feel quite safe whilst this is being done.”

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 completed appropriate training and followed infection prevention and control principles. We observed staff using protective clothing such as gloves during the assessment; managers conducted spot checks and made sure staff maintained hygiene standards, including handwashing, use of protective clothing and cleaning the environment when required to do so.

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.

The provider employed nurses who in turn provided training to care staff to complete some clinical tasks. Staff competencies were checked on a regular basis.

Medicine care plans contained detailed guidance about complex medical conditions, for example how to support people safely that used a PEG (tube to administer food, fluid and medicines directly into the stomach), and for people that experienced seizures. There was guidance about medicines that were prescribed ‘as and when required’ and staff kept records about the administration of medicines, including time sensitive medicines, to show medicines were given according to prescriptions. Staff recorded the dates that medicines were opened and monitored for expiry dates. Staff maintained records about stock levels and took appropriate action to make sure people did not run out of their medicines. People told us their medicines were managed well and did not experience any issues; 1 person said, “They do help me with my medicines, and this is always alright.”