Wickham Surgery

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

We looked for evidence people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 78 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safeguarding during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Involving people to manage risks during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. The service had contracts to ensure the premises was maintained.

Staff and leaders completed health and safety risk assessments and undertook audits to ensure they had identified and addressed all risks. For instance, the service conducted a fire risk assessment that was subsequently reviewed, with all required actions addressed. Fire drills were performed regularly and at various times throughout the day to ensure participation from different staff members. The service had a business continuity plan which was regularly reviewed and outlined how the service should continue to operate in the event of a disruption. For instance, there was a recent electricity outage on a Saturday morning; the electrician was contacted according to the business continuity plan, resulting in a positive outcome and minimal disruption to the service. Leaders routinely reviewed incidents as they occurred. This ensured risks were identified early and reduced the likelihood of disruption to people’s care.

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 service followed safe recruitment procedures when employing staff, which was in line with national legislation. This involved identity checks, qualification reviews, professional references, and a criminal records check. All 5 staff records reviewed as part of this assessment contained the required documents.

The service employed a range of clinical and non-clinical roles, which included GPs, nurses, paramedics and pharmacists. Leaders ensured staff were up to date with their training which the service had deemed mandatory and operated within their agreed areas of competence. The service had recently delivered suicide awareness training for all staff. This supported staff awareness of their role in identifying and supporting people with mental health needs. The training aimed to improve early identification and intervention for people at risk by ensuring all staff, including non-clinical teams who are often the first point of contact, could recognise concerns and escalate them appropriately in line with agreed pathways. Following staff training, we were told how the administration team had demonstrated increased confidence in identifying and escalating mental health concerns. A recent case had been promptly escalated to the Urgent Care Team, resulting in a same-day assessment and appropriate Crisis Team involvement. The referral pathway was adapted to meet the people’s individual preferences, ensuring care was both responsive and person-centred.

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.

The service had cleaning schedules available, which outlined how staff should clean the building and its equipment. The service demonstrated how these were monitored for completion to maintain oversight of cleaning arrangements. During our onsite visit, the service's premises and a sample of equipment reviewed was noted to be visibly clean. The service’s infection prevention and control lead conducted regular risk assessments and audits to ensure compliance and acted where necessary to mitigate any identified risks. Staff had completed relevant training in infection prevention and control.

We did not look at Medicines optimisation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.