Riverside Care Complex

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 ratings 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.

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. Accidents and incidents were recorded and there was a culture of openness and honesty when looking for improvements that could be made. A family member said, “They always keep me in the loop which is reassuring. They have always kept me informed and can talk about things that need changing.”

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 health conditions were documented, and people were supported to access a range of health care professionals.

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. Staff were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and people told us they felt safe living at the home. Where people lacked capacity to make their own decisions, we found appropriate legal authorisations for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were in place.

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. Risks were well managed and risk assessments were person centred. Staff had a good knowledge and understanding of how to support people in a way that ensured risks were managed sensitively, whilst respecting people’s choices and individuality. Staff knew people very well and knew how to support individuals who were showing signs of distress. A new electronic care records system was being introduced to improve the detail, accuracy and accessibility of the care records. People told us they were encouraged and supported to use any equipment they need to aid their mobility. They said, “Yes, they [staff] come and help me to move around. They ask what I want to do.”

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 buildings and equipment were well-maintained. A programme of updating and redecoration was underway. There was a system in place to ensure the required health and safety checks had been completed.

The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked well together to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. Recruitment checks were in place prior to staff starting to work at the service. A staff member said, “There are no staffing issues. There is always plenty of staff in the home.” People they received support when they needed it and requests for support were answered promptly. Some people commented that staffing had improved recently. One person said of the staff, “I think they know what they are doing, they are very helpful.”

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 home and equipment was clean and there were no malodours. Risks associated with infections were assessed and well managed. People told us, “They cleaned in here [lounge] before I got up and they clean in my room. They are very good; they clean every day” and ”It’s very nice and clean in here.”

Systems were in place to safely administer and store medicines. Records we checked showed people were having their regular medicines administered safely. Controlled drugs were stored and recorded appropriately. We saw good practice systems in place for the safe management of medicines patches. Staff had had completed medicines training and had their competency regularly assessed. People we spoke with confirmed they received their medicines as required. Some records relating to the management of medicines needed some improvements. We have addressed this in the Well-led section of this assessment.