Riverdale

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

Staff treated people well and were knowledgeable on how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. The provider had effective systems in place to ensure accidents and incidents were monitored to identify any emerging themes. Care plans and risk assessments identified people's needs and risks. They showed the action staff should take to minimise any risk of avoidable harm. There were enough staff who had been recruited safely and received the appropriate training . The service was clean. Medicines were safely managed and the stock levels were regularly checked. Some people’s PRN ‘as required’ medicine lacked information on when the medicine should be offered or administered. The management team sent us updated protocols which contained the required information.

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.

Where people had an accident or incident, this was recorded, monitored and action taken to address concerns. For example, where a person had an increase in falls this was identified and analysed to determine the potential cause of this. Where people required input from external professionals, appropriate referrals had been made, such as involvement from speech and language therapy and GP’s.

The management team regularly analysed accidents and incidents to identify any emerging themes or patterns in order to improve the care provided. These findings were then shared with the staff team. Staff confirmed they were informed of any actions following an accident or incident through the daily meetings that took place.

People's care records were reviewed and updated where necessary following any incident or accident. The management team ensured accidents and incidents were recorded, investigated and reviewed and communicated changes in daily staff meetings. This meant staff were able to learn lessons and reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring.

People and their relatives told us the service was safe and they felt well cared for. Relatives spoke positively about about how their family members outcomes were monitored and had been improved by the care provided at Riverdale.

The management team told us how the staff at the service worked in partnership with other professionals such as GP's and Dietitians to support people to access healthcare when they needed it. This had improved people's outcomes. The management team demonstrated how when a person's needs had changed, they had promptly engaged with several services to ensure the person's needs were fully met and understood.

We reviewed the providers admission process and found key information was sought from the person, their relatives and any external professional involved in the person’s care to enable a positive transition into the service. We also found the assessment continued following their admission to ensure the staff had accurate and up to date information on people's needs and preferences.

People told us they felt safe using the service. Relatives also told us they felt the service was safe. One relative told us, “I feel that [person] is safe, they are fed and well looked after. I really have no worries whatsoever.” Another relative told us, “[Person] is definitely safe, [person] is thriving and has put weight on.”

Staff were knowledgeable on how to identify and report safeguarding concerns both inside the organisation and externally if required. The management team told us about the systems in place to ensure safeguarding incidents were thoroughly investigated and how the provider also monitored incidents and where required ensured lessons were learned.

We observed staff to support people safely, we observed staff supporting people to transfer and reposition when this was needed. Staff took their time, gained people’s consent and made them aware of what was happening. When people needed assistance with eating and drinking, we observed staff to be attentive and encouraging.

The service had no open safeguarding incidents at the time of our assessment, staff had received training in this area. Accidents and incidents were reported by staff to the management team who investigated and analysed the information to reduce the risk of re-occurrence. We found the management team had taken appropriate when people had experienced falls, we found post monitoring records in place and medical advice had been sought when required. We also found equipment in place which to support people’s safety, this was regularly checked by staff for safety.

Relatives spoke positively about how people’s risks were known, monitored and managed. We found people and their relatives had regular opportunities to review the care in place.

Staff told us they had access to people’s care plans and risk assessments which were updated when there had been any changes. Staff also told us they were made aware of any changes in people’s care at handovers and the daily flash meeting’s held with all departments working in the service.

We observed staff to support people safely, we observed staff using equipment to support people to transfer and reposition when this was needed. Staff took their time, gained people’s consent and made them aware of what was happening. When people needed assistance with eating and drinking, we observed staff to be attentive and encouraging.

Effective systems and processes were in place to ensure to ensure risks were identified, monitored and mitigated. The provider had systems in place to ensure staff had access to up to date information about people, the provider’s electronic monitoring system also ensured the management team could frequently check that when people’s known risks required close monitoring. People and their relatives had frequent opportunities to review the care in place. The provider operated a ‘resident of the day’ system which ensured people’s care was reviewed monthly as a minimum.

Relatives told us they felt the environment was safe and clean, One relative told us, “When you go into the premises, it has a very pleasant smell.” And another relative told us about the changes the provider had made to the environment to make a person feel safe.

The management team told us about the various systems they had in place to ensure a safe environment, this included daily walkarounds and audits. Staff knew how to report any concerns. We spoke to the domestic staff who told us they always had a good supply of cleaning materials.

We observed the environment to be safe and equipment had been regularly serviced and checked for safety.

Systems and processes were in place to ensure a safe environment. We reviewed the health and safety within the service and found this was regularly checked and compliance certificates were in place and up to date.

People told us staff supported them in a timely manner when they required. One person told us, “Staff are always around” and another person told us, “Staff come and have a chat with me, we have a laugh they know I like a joke.”

Staff told us the service was suitably staffed, however they told us the service was reliant on agency staff to ensure staffing levels remained suitable. The management team told us they were actively recruiting new staff and told us how they had arrangements in place to ensure regular agency staff were deployed. Staff spoke positively about the training they had received and told us how they were required to regularly refresh this training.

Sufficient staff were available during our assessment to meet people's needs, we observed people receive support in a timely manner. We observed staff to support people with moving and positioning and with food and drink when assistance was required.

Staff were recruited safely; safer recruitment processes had been followed to ensure people were suitable for their roles. The management team had a dependency tool in place which ensured the needs of people were regularly reviewed to ensure suitable staffing levels were in place. We reviewed the staff training matrix and found staff were compliant with the mandatory training requirements. We also found staff had regular checks of their practice through observations of their competency in areas such as moving and handling and the administration of medicines. We found the agency staff also had an induction into the service and the provider checked safe recruitment practices had been followed and they had the required training before deploying them to work in the service.

We found people's bedrooms and the service to be clean and tidy and regular checks were in place to ensure the environment remained safe and clean.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of the steps they could take to reduce the transmission of infection. We had received concerns that an adequate supply of Personal protective equipment (PPE) was not always in place. We asked staff about this, the majority of staff told us they had never encountered any issues with the supply, however one staff member told us there had been an occasion when not all sizes of gloves were available. We spoke to the domestic staff who told us how they followed cleaning schedules and regularly completed deep cleans.

We observed the service to be clean and odour free, we checked and found adequate supplies of PPE in place.

The management team had daily check records in place to check the environment. We found the management team also undertook infection, prevention and control audits and staff had received training in this area.

Relatives told us their family members received their medicines as prescribed. One relative told us, “[Person] gets their medication on time, and they always seek permission for any vaccinations.”

The management team and staff we spoke to told us how they ensure people received their medicines safely and in line with the prescriber’s instructions. Staff knew what to do in the event of a medicine error and told us their medicine administration competency was regularly checked.

Medicines were managed safely, regular checks of the stock levels were carried out by staff. We found some PRN ‘as required’ medicine protocols lacked information on when the medicine should be offered or administered. We raised this with the management team who showed us they had also identified this and were in the process of updating the protocols, shortly after our visit the management team sent us the updated protocols which contained the required information.