Gorsefield Residential 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 inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm. At our last inspection the service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to people’s safe care and treatment due to issues around the safety of the environment. The provider had made enough improvement, and they were no longer in breach of regulation.

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 now 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 identify and embed good practice. The provider had made changes to the physical environment including restricting potentially dangerous parts of the building, increasing their use of fire signage, covered hot water pipes and increased the height of the stair banister to minimise the risk of injury from toppling over. One relative told us they had noticed the positive changes at the service and felt reassured things were safe for their family member.

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 told us they were referred to GP services promptly by staff. One person recalled how they had previously felt unwell. They said the staff recognised this straight away. They were referred for a medical assessment and felt reassured by the staff members prompt response to their change in condition.

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 and neglect. The service shared concerns quickly and appropriately. People felt safe and supported by staff. One person told us they felt safe and protected at Gorsefield Residential Care Home. They said all the staff supported them appropriately and if they had any concerns at all, they could go to any of the staff members. Staff had received training on how to keep people safe from abuse and neglect and information was available to them on how to report any concerns. The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. One relative told us their family member was not able to make important decisions about their care and support. They said they were fully involved with the service and social workers and the decisions made were in the best interests of their relative.

The service worked with people to understand and manage risks. 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 were involved in assessments of risk associated with their care and support. For example, people had assessments associated with the risk of trips or falls, mobility, diet and nutrition. At our previous inspection there was a lack of dementia appropriate signage throughout the building. The provider had made changes, including providing pictures people were familiar with on their rooms to aid their orientation. One person told us they knew their room number, and another told us they had chosen a picture they liked so they knew where their room was. This helped people orientate to their surroundings and reduce the risk of confusion regarding their environment.

The service had made positive changes to how they detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They now made sure equipment and facilities supported the delivery of safe care. People told us they felt safe living at Gorsefield Residential Care Home. One person said, “I feel everything is well maintained and there is never an issue.” The management team had made changes to the physical environment and had developed a programme of continued improvement to help ensure standards of maintenance did not drop.

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. One person said, “I can’t fault the staff here. I don’t have to wait, and they are all very pleasant.” The provider followed safe recruitment practices when employing new staff to ensure they were safe and suitable to work with people.

The service assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading. People were supported by staff who had received training in infection prevention and control and knew how best to support them in a safe way. The provider had replaced several worn and unsuitable pieces of furniture which had previously impeded effective infection, prevention and control practices.

The service made sure medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. They involved people in planning, including when changes happened. People received their medicines as prescribed. One person told us they always received their medicines when they needed them. They went on to say if they needed to ask for anything additional, the staff always acted promptly to support them. Staff had received training in the safe administration of medicines and their competency to safely support people was assessed. The provider completed regular quality checks to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.