Green Lanes Projects Limited

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 newly registered service. 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 service had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.

Incidents at the service were recorded and discussed. Staff told us the actions they took following incidents and near misses which included the use of social stories to help prepare people for new activities and events.

Accidents, incidents and events were logged. The registered manager was informed of each incident and undertook reviews to identify trends. The registered manager had oversight and took action to prevent recurrence. Lessons learnt were shared in team meetings, supervisions and where appropriate, with relatives. A relative told us, “Staff are happy to be held to account if we need to raise an issue, they do not run away from it or hide.”
 

The service 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.

People’s support needs were detailed within their support plans and risk assessments on the electronic system. An emergency pack was available if people went into hospital or received support from another service, to support continuity of care.
 

The service worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. They 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 service shared concerns quickly and appropriately.

People told inspectors what being safe meant to them and knew who to report concerns to if they did not feel safe. A person commented, “Of course staff keep me safe, they are here in my house to help me if I get scared or can’t do something like my medicines. It’s much better for me they have the keys to my medicines, and they are kept safe, I’d take too many or not enough.”

Staff were confident all concerns would be investigated by the registered manager and the provider. Staff knew of external agencies such as the police and local authority safeguarding team who they could contact in the event the concerns were not acted upon. A staff member informed us, “The staff member in charge of each house and the registered manager have open-door policies. You can contact them at any time and know your concern will be acted upon. I can’t think of an incident where anything I have raised has not been investigated.”

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the MCA.

When people receive care and treatment in their own homes an application must be made to the Court of Protection for them to authorise people to be deprived of their liberty.

We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA, whether appropriate legal authorisations were in place when needed to deprive a person of their liberty, and whether any conditions relating to those authorisations were being met.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. They provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

People told us they felt safe, and their risks were considered. People confirmed they felt involved in planning for their needs in relation to risks and keeping safe.

Staff told us about daily tasks completed to keep people safe. These included safety checks at the property and reporting any concerns identified to the landlord so these could be rectified in a timely manner.
 

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the person’s own home. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care.

Staff supported people to keep their homes secure. We observed checks taking place to ensure only authorised people could enter a person’s property. A relative told us, “That property is more than a building, it is our loved one’s home, and the staff treat it as such.”

Staff understood and followed the service’s health and safety procedures. Health and safety audits aimed at supporting people to live in a safe, well-maintained environment took place regularly and any areas for action were addressed. Support staff explained to inspectors the arrangements in place to report repairs and support people understand the process of an engineer’s visit using social stories and visual timetables.

The service 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 effective processes in place to ensure staff had the necessary skills and competence to carry out their roles. Staff were recruited safely. This included enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for adults. DBS checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

Staff told us they felt fully supported to undertake all requirements of their role with guidance from the registered manager. Comments included, “The registered manager is approachable and will always find time for you. I have regular supervision and I was able to request one at any point or just have a catch up. The registered manager always makes themselves available to anyone” and “The registered manager is knowledgeable, approachable, and fair. We have access to guidance, trainings and information to keep abreast with the needs of the people we support. This encourages staff development, wellness and a culture of inclusivity.”

The registered manager told us, “We are deeply committed to continuous improvement, with robust training and learning opportunities designed to ensure staff are confident, skilled, and supported in their roles.”

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

Staff supported people to maintain their home environment. Where possible, people using the service were empowered to participate in activities to keep their property clean. One person showed us the visuals that helped them use the correct equipment for cleaning tasks. There was allocated time to complete these tasks in each person’s weekly timetable. This enabled people to reduce the risk of infection.

Staff informed us they had access to personal protective equipment (PPE), had received training in infection control and followed the provider’s policy.
 

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. They provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them.

People told us they felt safe, and their risks were considered. People confirmed they felt involved in planning for their needs in relation to risks and keeping safe.

Staff told us about daily tasks completed to keep people safe. These included safety checks at the property and reporting any concerns identified to the landlord so these could be rectified in a timely manner.