Fethneys Living Options - Care Home Physical Disabilities

Updated 14 May 2025

Date of Assessment: 15 May to 20 May 2025. We assessed a small number of quality statements from the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions and found areas of good practice and some concerns. The scores for these areas have been combined with scores based on the key question ratings from the last inspection.

Though the assessment of these five key questions indicated some areas of concern as well as good practice since the last inspection, our overall rating remains requires improvement.

The assessment was undertaken to review compliance with 3 Warning Notices issued in February 2025 in relation to person-centred care, safe care and treatment and good governance. The service is a residential care home providing support to people living with physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities and autistic people.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Improvements have been made since the last assessment, but these need to be embedded and sustained to ensure people receive a good standard of care. This is a continuing breach of regulation in relation to good governance. The last manager had implemented some new auditing systems to measure and monitor the care overall. The new manager had only been in post a few weeks at the time of this assessment, and needed to familiarise themselves fully with people’s care plans, as well as the new systems that had been put into effect.

Incidents were reported and managed well to protect people from harm. Recruitment systems were effective in ensuring new staff were suitable and safe to work in a care setting. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s care and support needs. Before people came to live at the home, their care and support needs were assessed to ensure these could be met appropriately. Consent to care and treatment was gained lawfully, although an application for 1 person’s Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards could not be found. The provider was contacting the local authority to find out how the application was progressing.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

Updated 14 May 2025

Since the last assessment, improvements had been made. People’s risks and exposure to harm were managed appropriately. Redecoration of the lounge and dining areas provided people with more space to manoeuvre their electric wheelchairs. The garden was accessible and people could move independently between the house and outdoor space.

Monitoring of people’s food and fluid intake was no longer required as people’s needs had either changed or they no longer lived at the home. Bowel management monitoring and recording had improved and was managed well.

Before people came to live at the home, their needs were assessed to ensure these could be met. People had a ‘trial period’ which enabled them to visit the home on several occasions to see whether they would like to live there or not. People’s consent to care was gained lawfully and their choices were respected. People were not discriminated against, and staff worked to ensure that reasonable adjustments were in place for people who needed them to live a fulfilling life and participate in the running of the service.

People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. For example, 1 person switched between using their electric wheelchair to a manually operated one. This helped them to exercise and maintain their physical health. The person was also encouraged and supported by staff to use a ‘stand-aid’, equipment that assisted them to stand and helped with their mobility.