The Berrys Carehome

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 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.

The provider had a system in place for recording and reporting accidents and incidents appropriately. The provider shared the learning from safety events with staff and people who used the service to reduce future events from happening again.

The provider had taken an active approach to driving improvement after the last assessment. They had utilised professional advice and good practice guidance to make positive changes to all aspects of the service. Staff and people who used the service had made health and safety, care plans and the environment better for everyone including undertaking fire drills, talking about risks and choosing carpets and fittings.

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.

Since the last assessment on 30 July 2025, the provider had assisted 2 people to transfer safely to other services more appropriate to their needs. This involved liaising closely with professionals to reduce the impact of the move and the continuity of care was maintained.

Staff knew people well and liaised with healthcare professionals as and when required on behalf of the people they supported.

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.

Systems and policies were in place to reduce the risk of people being abused and harmed. The registered manager was aware of the process they should take to report any safeguarding concerns to the local authority and to CQC.

People were safe living at the service. People were supported to understand what keeping safe meant and were included in assessing the risks, both at home and in the community, and action to take to keep them safe. They were encouraged and empowered to raise any concerns they had and were appropriately supported if they felt unsafe.

Staff had completed appropriate levels of safeguarding training for their roles and understood their responsibility to report any concerns. A staff member told us, “I understand that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and that concerns must be reported immediately to the appropriate person.”

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 provider had made improvements to the process of assessing risks and how to mitigate them and was no longer in breach of the regulations. Risks relating to people were assessed and managed appropriately with their involvement. Risk assessments we saw were comprehensive, regularly reviewed and up to date.

People were supported to keep themselves safe at home and in the community. There was a balanced and proportionate approach to risk that supported people and respected the choices they made about their care.

Staff knew people well and supported them to communicate their needs, emotions and anxiety which protected their rights and dignity. They were able to tell us about associated risks to people and how they managed those risks. A staff member gave us an example of the support and action they had taken following an incident and the learning they had gained to try to prevent it from happening again.

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 made improvements to the environment and fire safety systems and were no longer in breach of the regulations.

People had been involved in making changes to the environment such as choosing furnishings, kitchen worktops, curtains, carpets, painting and redecoration and the garden. The shed with the tumble dryer in the garden was well maintained and the rusty radiator identified during our last assessment had been removed from the downstairs toilet. Lighting had been changed to ensure people and staff could see clearly using the stairs and corridors.

The provider had an improvement plan for ongoing renovations since our last assessment including painting and redecoration in the communal areas and the upgrade of the downstairs toilet.

Fire safety systems had been improved and took people’s health and safety needs into account. The provider has sought advice from the fire and rescue service in order to improve the service. Effective arrangements were in place to monitor the safety of the premises and equipment to keep people safe.

Fire evacuation procedures had improved and we saw evidence that day and night time fire drills had been undertaken. People’s personal emergency evacuation had been updated to show how staff could evacuate people in the event of a fire.

Staff had undertaken fire safety training. An on-call system had been put in place so that additional staff were available on a rota system and could get to the emergency in a safe amount of time. Annual premises safety checks were undertaken by an external contractor, including electrical checks and fire safety testing.

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 provider had made improvements to safe and effective staffing arrangements since our last assessment and was no longer in breach of the regulations.

The service had a stable management team and a committed team of enough staff to meet people’s needs. People experienced continuity of care from staff who knew them well.

The staff rota arrangements had been formalised to identify staff on duty and those on call. The rota remained flexible so that the needs of people could be met in a person centred way, such as when people wanted to access the community, social and leisure activities or health appointments with the support of staff. A staff member told us, “Staffing levels are based on the needs of the people we support. When needed it’s always increased.”

Staff received training appropriate and relevant to their role and was refreshed at regular intervals. Additional training had been undertaken since the last assessment such as fire safety, understanding people with a learning disability and autistic people and competency checks had also been undertaken on the administration of people’s medicines.

Staff were supported in their role. This included induction and supervision and support to develop their skills and qualifications. We saw two staff members had been enrolled on courses such as their level 3 qualification in health and social care. A staff member said, “I have received ongoing training and feel that the training provided helps me carry out my role safely and effectively. I am always encouraged to keep developing my knowledge and skills.”

The provider had a recruitment process in place. The recruitment files we viewed included an application form, details of any gaps in a person’s employment, pre-employment checks such as references and disclosure and barring service checks (DBS). This helps employers make safe recruitment choices.

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 systems in place to manage infection prevention and control procedures effectively. The service was clean and had been redecorated to ensure easier ongoing cleaning and maintenance of the service.

Daily, weekly and monthly audits were in place, completed by staff and evidence of these checklists were provided.

Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and confirmed they had received training around infection prevention and control. Staff understand the importance of food safety, including hygiene, when preparing or handling food. They followed the required standards and practice.

Staff involved people as much as possible in the cleaning of the shared areas of the service and supported them in cleaning their own bedrooms. Fridge and freezer and cooked food temperatures were monitored. The dining table was cleaned and tidied after meals along with the kitchen.

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 locked medicine cabinet was situated in the staff office. A staff list of signatures was available so staff would know who had signed the medicine administration records (MAR). Temperatures of the room were recorded and a fan in place for hot weather.

Prescriptions were ordered online and then staff went to collect them. All information was contained within the person’s medicines records, including topical creams, photos, dates of birth, and protocols for medicines prescribed ‘as and when’ needed. The MARs were all correctly completed and signed, with all medicines, dose, times given and if refused, this was recorded. There were no errors reported. Where people used paraffin based emollient cream, a fire risk assessment and policy for its use was in place.

Staff had been trained in medicines administration. We saw their competency had been checked by the registered manager. A staff member said, “I understand the importance of following the MAR chart, medication instructions and the correct medication procedures. I also havea competency assessment. If I am unsure about anything, I would seek advicefrom the managers.”