Milton Grange

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 were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. People were supported to understand and manage risk. Care plans were clear and provided sufficient guidance to staff to keep people safe. There were sufficient and appropriately trained staff in place to support people.

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.

Staff received safeguarding training and spoke knowledgably about different types of abuse and how they would recognise and report signs of abuse. One member of staff told us, " I have made a safeguarding referral in the past, I know how to do that." The manager had made safeguarding referrals as necessary to the local authority safeguarding team. The manager told us, " I do mini training sessions on safegurding topics with the staff and we cover safeguarding every day at our daily handover meetings."

People and their relatives told us people felt safe living at Milton Grange and enjoyed their time there. We asked one person if they felt safe living at Milton Grange, they replied, " Yes of course." A relative told us, " Yes, [person] is safe there, I'm very pleased." Another relative commented, " Yes, [person] is safe at Milton Grange. They are always laughing and comfortable." A further relative said, " Yes [person] is safe there. Their dementia is advanced however, I feel safe and they feel safe. The staff know all [persons] little foibles, what they like and don't like. It is important [person] is safe."

The provider had policies in place that covered safeguarding and whistleblowing. These gave staff clear guidance to follow if they needed to refer any concerns.

Staff interacted well with people, chatting with them and encouraging them to take part in activities they may enjoy. People reacted positively to staff, laughing and calling staff over to speak with them, clearly enjoying their company. Staff supported people sensitively, ensuring they had their walking aids within easy reach and accompanying them around the home when they wished to take a walk to maintain their safety. Risks were managed using the least restrictive practices to ensure people were cared for safely whilst still maintaining their independence.

Staff demonstrated good knowledge on how people preferred their care and support to be given. A member of staff said, "We check everyone and record their health and skin conditions. Any problems we report to the manager and it's covered in the handover every morning. We have a good handover, so we all know what is going on." The manager told us, " I manage all the risks for people. We do skin integrity checks daily and nutrition and hydration. We put specialist equipment in place if needed and get the Tissue Viability Nurse in to visit. We get the dietician in and Speech and Language Therapy Team in and fortify foods when required. We constantly monitor people's risk areas and update the care plans as necessary."

People and their relatives told us they were involved and consulted in making decisions about their individual care needs. A relative told us, "They all know what they are doing. The manager is very hands on, she knows everyone, thats reassuring. They know the risks, they know not to let [person] get too hot. It is so important the care is good they are very kind." Another relative said, " They know each person as well as each relative.They support me as well, any problems they are straight on the phone. They keep me involved and updated. They all have their own way of looking after [person] and they do it all well. They know you so well, it's so welcoming."

There was a clear process in place for managing people's care needs and risks. Risks to people were assessed and regularly reviewed. Risk assessments were personalised, detailed and gave staff clear guidance on ensuring people were supported safely. People had individual emergency evacuation plans in place. These were easily accessible for staff to ensure people received the support they needed in the event of a fire or other emergency incident. The provider had a process in place to assess the risk of fire and a wide variety of premises checks were completed to ensure people's safety.

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

Staff reacted promptly to support people when they needed it and did not appear rushed. People had easy access to call bells which they used if they needed staff to assist them. Call bells were answered quickly and effectively by staff.

People told us there were enough staff available to care for their needs. One person said, " Oh yes there are enough staff, they look after me well." A relative said, " There are always plenty of staff, they do very well and know everything." Another relative commented, " There are enough staff always. The good thing is they know [person] so well. [Person] can get up in the night, they bring [person] down and make them a cup of tea and keep them company and make sure they are safe."

The manager told us, " We have plenty of staff, at the moment we are well covered on all shifts and are fully staffed. Staff like to cover the shifts between themselves. In the morning there are 4 staff on and myself and in the afternoon there are 3 staff plus myself. We have 2 staff on at night. This works well for us as we only have 13 people living here at present." A member of staff said, " There are enough staff. If anyone is off sick we cover the shift between ourselves so that the staff always know the resident, they know their routine and how to care for them well. There are 2 staff on at night as some residents are up and about at times. There are enough staff to keep people safe." There was a stable staff team with some staff having worked at Milton Grange for many years, ensuring staff knew people and their needs well.

Staffing rotas reflected people were cared for by appropriate numbers of staff. Recruitment records showed staff were recruited safely. Procedures were in place to ensure the required checks were carried out on staff before they commenced their employment at Milton Grange. This included enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for adults. DBS checks provide information including details about convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer. The information helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.

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.