Parklands 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 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 learned to continually identify and embed good practice. Accidents and incidents were monitored to see if lessons could be learned to keep people safe. One person said, “I feel safe and well looked after.”

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. Care plans contained evidence of effective collaboration with healthcare partners to ensure people’s overall safety and wellbeing.

Regular handovers, staff meetings and communication with multidisciplinary contacts meant staff shared information quickly when people’s needs changed. Health and social care professionals spoke positively about communication, highlighting the service’s responsiveness and the effectiveness of the information sharing processes.

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.

Safeguarding concerns were reported and investigated appropriately. Staff had completed safeguarding training, knew how to identify and report potential issues and felt confident doing so. People and relatives felt the home was safe. One person said, “This is a lovely place. The staff are wonderful and they keep us all safe.”

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. DoLS authorisations were in place for people where appropriate.

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.

Individual and environmental risks had been identified and managed. Care plans outlined how best to mitigate each risk and guided staff to support people to remain safe. These were reviewed regularly to ensure the information remained accurate and complete. Staff supported people to take positive risks where appropriate. Staff involved people and relatives in decisions about their care, including choices about daily living, activities and personal preferences. A person told us, “I know I’m in very good hands. My family know I’m safe and that’s important so they don’t worry about me.”

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Safety checks of the premises and equipment were completed regularly. Procedures were in place for emergency situations and these were reviewed and updated regularly.

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. Staffing levels were monitored to ensure people received safe and timely care. During our visit we saw several people were distressed and anxious due to their individual health needs; staff supported them promptly and sensitively.

Staff were recruited safely. Prospective staff went through a series of background checks to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

Staff said they were well supported in their roles. A staff member told us, "I love working here. We have a good team and the manager is excellent.”

Staff completed training and supervision relevant to their role. Most training was up to date, but the majority of staff had not completed up to date falls prevention training. When we discussed this with the registered manager they took immediate action to address this.

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 premises were clean and tidy, with regular and effective cleaning taking place. Some areas needed refurbishment due to the age of the home. A plan was in place to address this, with some bathrooms scheduled for refurbishment in the coming months.

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. People received their medicines when needed, and clear records of administration were kept. There were suitable arrangements for ordering, storage and disposal, including for medicines needing cold storage and those requiring extra security. Suitable temperature monitoring was carried out to make sure medicines were safe and effective.