Lavender Fields Care Village

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. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

This service scored 69 (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. Processes were in place to ensure incidents were reported, reviewed and appropriate actions taken. These actions were transferred to an action plan. A six-monthly event log, where themes and trends were analysed, was used to improve the service.

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. Information about people’s needs was assessed and used to develop person-centred care plans. Some people had transferred from other care agencies and information was shared appropriately to facilitate a seamless transfer of care.

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 were vigilant about people’s safety, knew how to report concerns, and had been trained how to spot signs of abuse. Staff told us they were confident appropriate action would be taken if concerns were raised. A staff member told us, “Yes, managers would listen to concerns I’m quite happy and confident about that.”

The service did not always work with people to understand and manage their individual care risks. They did not always check with people that their care needs described within the care plans were safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. Risks to people were assessed prior to their care starting. When staff were told about changes in people’s needs these risks were re-assessed. However, regular formal reviews about people’s care needs and associated risks had not taken place since 2023. One relative told us, “No, we’ve not had any reviews. The care plan was in the cupboard in the early days. That care plan hasn’t changed. There’s been no reviews.” A staff member said, “Care plans probably need updating more. Things change over time.”

The service detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. Appropriate checks were made on people’s care environments to ensure people, relatives and staff were kept safe during care delivery.

The service made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to support people’s needs. However, they did not always make sure staff received effective support, supervision and development. Staff worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. The provider had a schedule for supervisions and appraisals. However, staff files showed some staff members had not received regular supervisions. When asked whether they had received any supervisions a staff member told us, “No, I have had 1 appraisal.” Another staff member said, “I have not had a supervision.”

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. Staff had been trained on infection prevention and control. People told us staff always used appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). People were appreciative that staff changed from outdoor shoes to indoor shoes when delivering personal care in bath and shower rooms.

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 medicines as prescribed. Staff had received training and had their competency to administer medicines checked regularly.