The Evergreens

“The provider had effective systems in place to help protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to recognise and report concerns. They were confident raising concerns and felt these would be acted upon appropriately by the management team.”

“Staff understood how to record accidents and incidents and escalate concerns when necessary. Accidents and incidents were reviewed by the management team to identify themes, trends and opportunities for learning. Where improvements were identified, appropriate action was taken and learning was shared with staff.”

“There were enough staff to meet people's needs safely. Staff received regular supervision, attended team meetings and completed training relevant to their roles. A range of competency assessments were also completed to provide assurance staff had the skills and knowledge required to support people safely. Staff spoke positively about working at the service, felt part of a team and told us the management team was supportive. A staff member said, “People are safe living here because we are a strong consistent team who know people well and know when something is not right, the management is good, they listen and are responsive and we have good training.””

“Medicines were managed safely, including medicines prescribed to be given 'when required'. Staff responsible for administering medicines had received appropriate training and their competency was assessed.”

“People and their relatives were positive about the decoration and condition of the service. Equipment, utilities and the environment were subject to regular checks to promote people's safety. Where these checks identified actions, these were recorded and followed up. External specialists and contractors were used to undertake works and checks where necessary.”

“People's needs were assessed before they moved into the service and reviewed regularly to ensure their care continued to meet their individual needs. Care plans were person-centred and covered key areas of people's needs and associated risks. People and their relatives were involved in the care planning process. Staff knew people well, understood their individual needs and risks, and knew where to find the information needed to provide safe and effective care. A staff member said, “Care plans have a lot of information and they are regularly updated, I love reading the back story and there is a focus on learning about the person and their history.””

“People's nutrition and hydration needs were assessed, and care was provided in accordance with their individual needs. Where required, referrals were made to speech and language therapy (SALT) for specialist assessment and advice, which was reflected in people's care plans and practice. Staff were aware of people's allergies, intolerances and swallowing requirements. We observed food and drink being prepared in line with people's assessed swallowing needs. People and their relatives were kept informed and involved in their care.”

“People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which form part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether…”