Alston 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

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.

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. The registered manager conducted thorough analysis of incidents when they occurred. This identified the cause of the incident and enabled them to share lessons that could be learnt with staff to prevent it from happening again. People and their relatives told us they felt confident the right action would be taken in the event of an accident or incident.

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. We received positive feedback from healthcare partners who worked with the service in how staff communicated and shared information with them about people using the service. The management team were in the process of reviewing people’s care plans to ensure these were fully up to date and reflective of current people’s needs.

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 and leaders were trained in safeguarding and understood their responsibilities in reporting safeguarding concerns. People told us they felt safe living at the service.

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 had equipment to support them to manage risks, such as pressure relieving equipment for the risk of pressure sores and sensor equipment for the risk of falls. A relative told us, “[Person] has not had any falls since she’s been here and uses her frame all the time. They watch out for her.”

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Maintenance work was required in several areas of the home, including the kitchen. The service was fully aware of this and had an effective system in place to identify and report environmental safety concerns. There was an ongoing maintenance and service improvement plan in place to address this.

The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. Staff worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. Systems were in place to ensure there was enough staff on shift to meet people’s needs. The registered manager had focussed on improving staff knowledge, skills and confidence since joining the service. Staff told us they received training and support from the service which enabled them to carry out their roles effectively and safely.

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 an ongoing service improvement plan which identified and addressed any areas of concern in relation to managing risk of infection. The home was clean and people’s feedback confirmed this. One person said, “My bedroom is kept nice and clean.”

The service made sure that 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 with the support from trained and competent staff. The service ensured people’s medicines were ordered and stored appropriately and safely.