Archived: Ferrol Lodge Care Home

Updated 21 December 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 17 and 18 August 2016. The first day was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally required to let us know about. The provider also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make.

We contacted the local authority commissioning team, a range of health and social care professionals and the local Healthwatch to seek their views of the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

During the inspection we spoke with seven people living at the service and eight relatives. We joined people for a lunch time meal. We observed care and support in the communal areas and looked around the premises.

We spoke with the registered manager, the general manager, the deputy manager, one senior and two care workers, the cook, a member of housekeeping staff and the maintenance staff. We reviewed four people’s care records and three staff files for recruitment and supervision. We looked at other records relating to medicines, staff training and the quality checks of the service.

Updated 21 December 2016

The last inspection of this home was carried out on 28 August 2014. The service met the regulations we inspected against at that time.

This inspection took place over two days. The first visit on 17 August 2016 was unannounced which meant the provider and staff did not know we were coming. Another visit was made on 18 August 2016 which was announced.

Ferrol Lodge is a care home providing accommodation for up to 23 people. There are 19 single rooms and two shared rooms (shared rooms are only used by two people if both express a wish to do so). There were 22 people living at the home at the time of this inspection. The home does not provide nursing care.

The home had a registered manager who had been in this role for many years. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

All the people, relatives and care professionals we spoke with felt the home was a safe and comfortable place to live. People described the service as “family-run” and “very safe”. A relative told us, “We don’t worry now my [family member] is living here because they’re wonderful to them. It’s peace of mind and we have no qualms at all.” Care professionals who regularly visited the told us they had “no concerns” about the safety or care of the service or the care of people during their visits.

Staff were clear about how to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse. Staff told us they were confident that any concerns would be listened to and investigated to make sure people were protected. The provider carried out checks to make sure only suitable staff were employed and used robust probationary appraisals to make sure they had the right attributes to continue working at the home. People were assisted with their medicines in the right way.

People told us they were very happy with the care and felt there were enough staff to assist them. A relative told us, “There’s enough staff and they always know where people are and how they’ve been. Staff work very hard but they take their time with people.”

Staff had the relevant training and support to care for people. The manager carried out regular competency checks to make sure staff had the right skills to provide the right support. Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for people who lacked capacity to make certain decisions.

Relatives said the staff cared for people in an effective way and responded quickly to any changes in people’s well-being. People said the meals were “excellent” and that they were “well-fed and watered”. Staff encouraged people to eat and drink enough and they had choices about their meals.

People, relatives and visiting healthcare professionals told us the standard of care and compassion at this home was exceptional. People described the staff as “lovely”, “very nice” and “very friendly.” One person commented, “They are so very kind. They ask us all the time what we would like.” A relative told us, “My [family member] is happy and loved here.” Another relative said, “The way they treat people is so lovely. There are lots of hugs.”

Relatives described how staff “cherished” the people who lived there. A relative told us, “The care my [family member] has had here is second to none. They’ve nurtured my [family member] back from the brink with love. They’ve done wonders with them. This is my [family member’s] home and they love it here.”

People were treated with kindness, courtesy and dignity. A relative told us, “It’s very family-orientated. If we take my [family member] out for the day they are welcomed back home with such love.”

A health care professional told us, “It’s a lovely care home with very caring staff. All my colleagues say its lovely and we all love visiting here.”

People, relatives and care professionals told us the service was highly personalised and tailor-made to suit each person. A relative commented, "My [family member] is so happy here. They can do what they want when they want. If they want their meals at a different time to mealtimes staff are fine about that and do everything to suit them.”

Staff were very knowledgeable about people and treated them like their own family. People described how they were the decision-makers in the home. It was clear that their individual choices were used to decide how they spent their day.

People and relatives commented very positively on the activities and social events that were held at the home. One person told us “There’s plenty to do - we’re always doing something.” One person had said they would like to go on a barge, so the home had arranged for a group of them to do this in the near future.

Staff often arranged for local entertainers and children’s groups to come to the home. A relative commented, “They bring loads of entertainment in and put on such a lot for them. There’s always visitors and children and they all interact with the people who live here.”

People, relatives, staff and healthcare professional felt the home was well-managed. Staff said they enjoyed working at the home. They felt appreciated and supported by the management team and provider.

The registered manager, general manager and deputy manager were experienced and well qualified to manage this service.

The provider had a quality assurance system to continuously check the quality and safety of the service. People and relatives’ views were sought and acted upon. The provider and managers constantly strived to improve the quality of the service.