The Ferns

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. People were actively encouraged to maintain relationships with their families. Families were supported to spend time with people both within and outside of The Ferns, and to remain engaged in the local community.

People had access to private spaces within the home, as well as outdoor areas including gardens. Staff spoke about the people they supported with respect and demonstrated genuine regard for their wellbeing.

One relative told us staff treated their family member exceptionally well and encouraged them in all aspects of their daily lives.

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They did not always take account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Whilst staff demonstrated a good understanding of the people they supported, we identified that decisions regarding access to the environment, were not consistently made in people’s best interests or with sufficient consideration of their individual strengths, choices, and aspirations.

There was limited information within people’s records to demonstrate how their goals and aspirations were identified, documented, and supported. These concerns were raised with the management team, who advised that people’s goals and aspirations were recorded; however, the records provided did not demonstrate this.

The provider promoted people’s independence, ensuring that individuals were aware of their rights and had choice and control over their care, treatment, and wellbeing. Some areas for improvement were identified, including providing more meaningful daily activities and supporting individuals to develop independence, such as involving them in cooking or learning a new skill.

Despite concerns we identified regarding the assessment of individuals’ capacity to make decisions; people were supported to be independent and to exercise choice.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff knew people well. Their personal needs and preferences were recorded, known and promoted by staff. People received emotional support at times of upset. We saw one person experiencing anxieties and distress and staff responded immediately and reassured this person who visibly calmed and continued with their activity.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The provider had policies and procedures in place to support staff wellbeing. Staff felt listened to and thought managers was responsive to their suggestions, views or concerns. One staff member said, “I feel valued here, management are supportive and we can ask for anything, and they will listen.”