Frensham House

Updated 29 June 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Frensham House is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before our inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service which included statutory notifications and safeguarding and the Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, 2 care workers, and 9 people who used the service. We spoke to 1 relative visiting the service. We looked at 3 peoples’ care records and 3 staff records including safe recruitment; we also looked at various documents relating to the management of the service. Following our visit, we received further information from the registered manager, which included audits and feedback from a further 6 staff.

Updated 29 June 2023

About the service

Frensham House a privately-owned care home for older people in Brixham, Devon. The home is registered to accommodate 14 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 13 people residing at the home.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives were happy with the care provided. One relative said they couldn’t wish for a better home. Their family visited every day and always felt welcome. They praised the staff for “making their Mum so happy and well cared for.” Peoples’ comments included, “I love living here, you can’t ask for anymore. They are all wonderful.”

People had access to healthcare services and were involved in decisions about their care.

Partnerships with other agencies and health professionals enabled effective outcomes for people.

People's care was planned and risks to their safety and wellbeing were assessed. The service reviewed these plans regularly, involving people in these reviews and asking for their opinions.

Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in identifying and reporting any concerns of potential abuse or poor practice.

Medicines were managed safely. People and staff praised the manager and staff team and said they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the registered manager. One staff member said, “We are all treated like we are one big family: residents, families and staff alike. There is always plenty of support from the Stonehaven care group, along with our colleagues and especially our manager who I cannot fault, she does an amazing job.”

The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people's needs.

People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well.

Care plans contained information about each person's individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and we found evidence of good outcomes for people.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service. The registered manager actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the service, and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.

The provider had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided. There was a positive culture throughout the service. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt valued.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection we rated this service Good. The report was published on 26 October 2017.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and the length of time since the last inspection. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well Led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.