The Firs Care Home with Nursing

< Back to the complete list of standards

Our latest report on this standard published on 9 October 2012

We inspected on 11 September 2012 during a routine inspection

How this check was done

We looked at the personal care or treatment records of people who use the service, carried out a visit on 11 September 2012, observed how people were being cared for and checked how people were cared for at each stage of their treatment and care. We talked with people who use the service, talked with carers and / or family members and talked with staff.

Our judgement

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs.

Reasons for our judgement

Two of the people we spoke with said they felt there were normally sufficient staff on duty to meet their needs and never felt ignored or rushed. One person, though, considered that there had been some shortage of staff and added, “It can be difficult first thing in the morning.” They all felt that they were cared for properly, by staff, during the day and night.

We asked staff members whether they felt there were sufficient staff available to meet people’s needs. They said there were and they also thought that people did not have to wait long for staff attention. They felt that staffing levels ensured that adequate activities were in place for people, over and above those organised by the activities coordinator. One staff member said, “Staff will sit and talk to residents one-to-one and paint their nails.” Staff told us that agency staff were occasionally used by the service but said that existing staff, or those from another care home within the Ashmere Care Group, would be the preferred choice at times of staff sickness and holidays. The manager later confirmed this.

We read the previous week’s staff rota and this confirmed the manager’s description of staffing levels. The manager said there were no staff vacancies being held. She told us that people’s dependency levels were taken into account in determining sufficient staffing levels and showed us a document which confirmed this process.

< Back to the complete list of standards