Fornham House Residential Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 79 (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 was exceptional at making sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

The provider demonstrated exceptional practice in ensuring people were consistently placed at the heart of all decisions about their care and treatment. Care and support was planned and delivered in partnership with people, and where appropriate their relatives, enabling individuals to influence how their needs were met and how changes in their circumstances were responded to. This highly personalised approach was embedded across the service and resulted in meaningful improvements to people’s lived experiences and outcomes.

Activities were carefully tailored to reflect people’s individual interests, abilities and preferences, with staff showing flexibility and creativity to ensure everyone was supported to participate in ways that mattered to them. A member of staff described this approach, saying, “There is a good range of activities for all [people] to join in with. It can be anything from cooking to garden or art club. We also have regular entertainers that come in. We'll adapt activities so people can do them in their room. We recently did flower arranging. We put everything together on a tray and took them to their room and made it accessible for them to enjoy the activity.”

Relatives told us they felt actively listened to and confident that suggestions would be welcomed and acted upon. One relative said, “On discovering [family member] used to write poetry one of the activity coordinators arranged a poetry recital session. There is a good choice of activities with outside providers brought in too. I feel confident I can offer suggestions and these would be acted upon.” This demonstrated a culture where people and those important to them were genuinely involved in shaping the lived care experience.

Person-centred practice was also highly evident in the way people were supported with nutrition and mealtimes. Staff adapted daily routines to reflect people’s choices and preferences rather than expecting people to fit into rigid systems. A member of staff told us, “I believe we work in a person centred way especially around mealtimes, if [people] don’t like the 2 meal choices on other, they are offered alternatives such as salads, omelettes, jacket potatoes, sausage and chips etc. Menu planning is created through [people’s] feedback and a lot of dishes on the menus are what [people] have created.”

The service went further by actively celebrating important life events and relationships, creating meaningful moments that enhanced people’s sense of identity and belonging. A member of staff said, “We try and involve relatives for special days like Christmas and Mother’s Day lunch. We try and cater for things like birthday parties, wedding anniversaries all to give each [person] that special moment during their time with us.” On the first day of the inspection, we saw a private table had been set up by the catering and activities team to help a couple and their relatives celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. Consideration had been given to creating a restaurant experience in an inclusive, calm and supporting way within a quiet part of the service to not overwhelm one person living with dementia.

People’s faith, individual religious beliefs and cultural needs were respected. The service recognised the importance of meeting traditions and faith-based needs as this was essential to people’s well-being. People had access to services in the community if they wished to attend and we saw one person receive a religious blessing including communion in a quiet area of the service; a regular arrangement as they had difficulty accessing the community.

Staff and leaders demonstrated persistence, compassion and confidence in supporting people with complex needs, including those other services had been unable to support. Significant positive differences had been made to people’s lives.

People’s feedback was actively used to drive environmental improvements. Residents told us the previous hairdressing salon was difficult to access and uninviting. In response, the provider relocated it to a central area of the home, installed specialist equipment and created a comfortable waiting area where people could have a hot or cold drink. This demonstrated responsiveness to people’s views and led to an improved experience.

The service had also successfully supported people who had moved in from other local care homes where their needs could not be met. The manager told us how people settled well and experienced improved outcomes. One person, who previously did not accept personal care and became distressed responded positively to staff’s skilled, person-centred approach. The manager told us, as a result, the person now accepts personal care, is calm, and engages well with staff and other people.

The staff team consistently delivered care that was highly individualised and responsive. Staff showed an in-depth understanding of people as individuals and demonstrated a commitment to achieving positive outcomes, even where needs were complex. This outstanding approach had a clear and lasting positive impact on people’s well-being, confidence and quality of life.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

People received care from staff who were working closely with other services. Recommendations from health professionals were recorded and shared with staff. Records showed that if people’s needs changed, further advice was sought, and care was adapted to meet those needs.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

We observed that people were supported in ways that met their individual communication needs, promoting understanding, inclusion and meaningful involvement in their care. Staff took time to communicate at a pace suited to each person, ensuring people were given sufficient time and space to process information and respond without feeling rushed or pressured. Interactions were calm, respectful and adapted to people’s preferred communication styles, supporting positive experiences and helping people feel listened to and understood.

Care records contained clear and accessible guidance on how best to communicate with individuals, including information about people’s preferred methods of communication, any sensory impairments, and individual prompts or approaches that supported understanding. This information was well known by staff and used in daily practice to ensure communication was consistent and person centred.

Where English was not a person’s first language, the service had alternative arrangements in place to support effective communication. We were told these included the use of and online translation tool, photographs and pictures of meals and written translation of information. Staff demonstrated awareness of the importance of checking understanding and adapted their communication accordingly to ensure people were fully involved in decisions about their care and support.

These approaches helped ensure that people received information in a way they could understand, enabling them to express their views, make informed choices and remain actively involved in their care.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

There were clear and accessible systems in place to support people and those important to them to share feedback, raise concerns or make complaints about their care and support. Information about how to raise a complaint was in place and set out how concerns would be responded to, the timescales involved and how people could escalate matters if they were not satisfied with the outcome. People and relatives told us they felt confident to raise issues and were reassured these would be taken seriously. One person’s relative told us, “Originally the home had a different manager, one who didn't seem to manage so well… Since the new [registered] manager came, they offered [us] a meeting and listened to our concerns. [Registered manager] still listens, providing us with theiremail details for any future questions, took on the task of improving the now much improved, formerly haphazard interior, and invited by email [people’s] relativesto a helpful meeting.” Another relative said, “I recently raised a concern… and this was positively managed swiftly with ongoing updates. I find the management to be approachable and easy to contact.” A third relative commented, “I haven’t raised any complaints, but I have given them details of when I feel basics are not being covered. They discuss the issue and we move on.”

Evidence showed that when concerns or complaints were raised, these were dealt with in line with the provider’s policy. Issues were acknowledged promptly, investigated appropriately and responded to in a timely manner. People and relatives were kept informed of actions taken and outcomes and learning from complaints was used to help improve the service. This demonstrated that feedback was valued and that the complaints process was followed in practice and supported ongoing service improvement.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Staff and management supported people to access external healthcare resources when they needed, as well as having regular visits to the home from people such as the GP. People’s care plans also contained evidence of regular appointments with healthcare professionals.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. Leaders ensured people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it, however, not all areas of the home were accessible due to the age of the building and refurbishments were needed. The registered manager described works being considered to improve accessibility. Despite the restrictions, we did not find any impact on people living at Fornham House Residential Home.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

People had clear and individualised end‑of‑life care plans in place, which reflected their wishes, preferences and needs, and were reviewed to ensure they remained appropriate. Staff demonstrated a sensitive and respectful approach when supporting people at the end of their lives, ensuring care was delivered with dignity, compassion and kindness. People were kept comfortable and their physical, emotional and spiritual needs were considered and responded to promptly. A member of staff said, “I think the end of life care is good. The deputy manager makes sure they are there when a [person] is at end of life, even if it the middle of the night. [Deputy manager] always wants to be there for the relatives to support them.”

Families and those close to people were welcomed and supported throughout this time. Staff communicated openly and sensitively, offering reassurance, practical support and emotional guidance as needed.