Hawkhurst House

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

People and their relatives told us they felt safe living in Hawkhurst House and were very happy living there. People, staff and others had regular opportunities to raise any concerns, make suggestions, raise complaints or offer any praise. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding, had received training, knew what to report and to whom and how to escalate if necessary. People were involved in their assessments and relatives told us they were always informed if there were any changes or concerns. Risk assessments were clear, comprehensive and up-to-date. They provided staff with the necessary information on how to mitigate any potential risk. People and relatives told us there were enough staff and they did not have to wait long if they needed assistance.

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.

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.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe living in Hawkhurst House and were very happy living there. Comments from people included, "I do feel safe. There is so much security" and, "The staff make me feel safe, I trust them completely."

Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding, had received the relevant training, and understood what to report and to whom if necessary. Safeguarding concerns were reported appropriately to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the local authority. There was evidence to show the provider cooperated with any investigations. Safeguarding records were maintained and audited regularly by the compliance managers and lessons learned were shared with the team. Staff had access to all the provider's policies and procedures and safeguarding was an agenda item for the daily meetings with the nurses and the care team.

People were involved in their assessments and relatives told us they were always informed if there were any changes or concerns. Where people required monitoring charts, for example, for weight management, nutrition and hydration and repositioning, these had been completed and were closely monitored.

People were supported and involved in decisions about their care and risk management. Staff were trained to support people to use their environment safely, rather than place restrictions on people. Examples include one person who liked to access the linen cupboard so they could change their bed linen themselves when it suited them; one person liked to go for a walk in the car park and was supported to do so safely and another person went away for a weekend with their friends. Both floors within the service presented as bright and spacious with wide corridors. The location was clean and tidy, we did not observe any potential risks, such as trip hazards during our visit.

Risk assessments were clear, comprehensive and up to date. They contained enough information about people's risks and mitigation strategies for staff to provide safe and effective care. Environmental risks were managed safely, including fire, water temperatures, electrics and maintenance of equipment. Risk assessments were robust enough to support people to make their own decisions and take their own risks where they had capacity to do so.

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

People and their relatives told us there were enough staff to meet their needs. Comments from people included, "You don't need anymore. I will just call, and they come, and I don't have to wait long" and, "Yes and they come quickly when I call them." A relative when asked if they felt there was enough staff commented, "Yes. When they are up, they are in the lounge and there is always someone around."

The provider used a dependency tool to assess and monitor staffing levels and skill mix and staff told us they thought there were enough staff.

We observed good teamwork from staff who were responsive to people's needs. Call bells were answered promptly.

Staff were recruited safely. Records were maintained to show checks had been made on employment history, references and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). DBS checks provide information about convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer. This information helps people make safer recruitment decisions. Staff were well trained and had the necessary knowledge and skills to provide good quality, effective care to meet people's needs. Experienced staff work alongside new staff and completed various competency assessments, including moving and handling and medication. Staff were allocated to small groups of people, so they had the opportunity to get to know them well.

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

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