Five Gables 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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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, investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learned from incidents and were discussed with staff during daily handovers and team meetings. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to record and report accidents and incidents. Staff felt able to approach the management with any concerns. The competency checks in place to support their continuous learning were improved and effective.

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 manager told us they carried out a preadmission assessment, visited the person and talked with those important to them where appropriate. Staff had clear documentation on how to support people’s needs. This included documents that could be used in the event of a person being transferred to another services, such as a hospital. The local GP conducted regular visits and staff actioned any requests they made without delay. This meant people received timely care and treatment. Staff also contacted the GP and other relevant professionals where they felt it was required.

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. There had not been many recent safeguarding concerns, however we saw that the provider had referred these in a timely manner and took action to minimise future incidents. People told us they felt safe and well looked after, a person we spoke with said “I feel safe. They look after me very well. I am very happy here.”

We saw people and staff had positive relationships at Five Gables Care Home. There was an open culture of communication, and we saw no evidence that people were at risk or fearful of the staff team. We saw very positive engagements and interactions throughout our assessment.

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 told us they received training, and they found the induction process when they started to be very thorough. We saw people be supported in line with their care needs in a safe manner. For example, we observed staff use a hoist which was done with kindness, reassurance and in line with guidance. Staff knew people well and documented how they supported them in their daily notes. Care plans were regularly reviewed and updated with and changes; this was communicated with staff effectively to ensure people’s needs were met.

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 environment was clean, tidy and free from malodours. Staff were passionate to ensure the service felt like a home and was a welcoming environment. Leaders completed their own monitoring to ensure the environment did not fall below a good standard. This included a daily walk around where any issues were addressed and raised with staff where necessary. One relative told us, “The atmosphere in the home is one of a home and a family group. This creates the safe environment you would have at your own home but with plenty of people around to help.”

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. Staff were trained to a good standard, and they had the skills and confidence to provide high quality care. Staff had been recruited safely with all checks completed to ensure staff were safe and competent to work with people. Staff told us there were enough staff and did not feel rushed to complete care.

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 home appeared clean throughout. Staff and leaders worked to minimise the risk of infection transmission. Staff had access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and they had the skills to maintain good hand hygiene. The home had been awarded 5 stars (the maximum) for food hygiene. The management team understood the actions they should take if there was an infectious disease outbreak at the home.

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Safe systems were in place to ensure the safe receipt, storage, administration, recording and disposal of medicines. Staff responsible for the administration of medicines or topical creams had received appropriate training and their competency had been assessed. Staff received medicines training and showed sound knowledge of people's medication needs. Relatives supported this, with a relative telling us, “Medications are totally cared for by the home, but I am fully informed of any changes.”