Farthings Nursing Home

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Care plans were comprehensive, person centred, and regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s current needs and preferences. Records were updated at least monthly, and more frequently where people’s needs changed. The service had also introduced a care plan of the day’ system to support more in-depth reviews involving the person and, where appropriate, their family members.

Families spoke positively about their involvement in care planning and decision-making. One family member told us, “The home took lots of detailed information when [family member] moved in,” and “They have involved me in discussions.” People living in the home also told us they were involved in decisions about their health and care, and staff respected their choices and independence.

Staff demonstrated a strong understanding of person-centred care, with one staff member explaining they asked people what they wanted when they moved in and worked around their wishes wherever possible.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

People were supported to understand and be involved in decisionsabout their care, including the use of equipment such as bed rails.

The service showed a strong commitment to involving people in decisions, with residents’ meetings and surveys informing the environment; 100% of people were satisfied, with one describing it as a "homely haven".

Kitchen staff demonstrated a clear understanding of individual dietary needs, including diabetes and allergies, with safe food preparation processes consistently followed. Nutritional risks were assessed using recognised tools such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), a nationally recognised screening tool used to identify adults who were malnourished, at risk of malnutrition, or obese. The Waterlow score was also used to assess people’s risk of developing pressure ulcers (bedsores), enabling appropriate preventative measures to be put in place.

People were offered choice and encouragement to maintain nutrition. One person said they were offered many alternatives, while another described their meal as "absolutely lovely". Staff supported people in a calm, respectful environment, promoting positive outcomes.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

All relevant staff were able to access the information they needed to understand people’s needs, how those needs were to be met, and who was responsible for providing support. The home had invested in digital systems, including electronic care records, digital policies and procedures, digital administration record systems, and shared drives, to support effective communication and coordinated care delivery.

The home held daily meetings to ensure changes in people’s assessed needs were effectively communicated across staff teams for ongoing monitoring and timely action. Staff spoke positively about these meetings, which supported improved communication, oversight, and continuity of care across the service.

Professionals told us they were treated with kindness and respect when visiting the service and described positive partnership working with the home to achieve the best possible outcomes for people. This included collaborative decision-making to reduce levels of continuous supervision where this was no longer considered necessary.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

The activity and wellbeing staff member had incorporated physical activities into the activity schedule which were well attended. Staff described how the sessions were filled with laughter. Activities designed to encourage mental stimulation, such as bingo and quizzes, were also popular. One person told us “I really like the activities, without them it’s just boring”

The home promoted healthy choices with home-made meals prepared using fresh produce. Menus were created in consultation with people and their families. Staff took pride in the presentation and quality of food. One member of the kitchen team told us, “The way I present food is important to me and the residents.”

Referrals to appropriate health services were made promptly when needs changed, with family involvement where necessary. A professional described how staff appeared to know people’s baseline well and responded quickly to any change in needs.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

People experienced positive outcomes because care was closely monitored and adapted promptly when required. There was a robust approach to monitoring the effectiveness of people’s care, treatment and support, with action taken promptly to continuously improve outcomes. The registered manager ensured staff used a range of clinical monitoring tools to identify and respond to changes in people’s needs.

Care records demonstrated that people’s needs were regularly reviewed and updated in response to changes in their health and wellbeing. This helped to ensure care and treatment remained safe, effective and person centred.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Best Interests decision-making, Mental capacity assessments and Best Interests decisions had been completed where required, with appropriate involvement from families and professionals, in line with legislation and recognised good practice.

Staff were observed explaining support before providing assistance, offering people choices and seeking consent throughout interactions. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding that mental capacity was decision-specific and should not be generalised and recognised that people could retain the ability to make some decisions independently.

People had choice and control over their daily lives. One person described feeling like the “Captain of their own ship,” reflecting a strong sense of autonomy and independence. Another person told us they chose not to attend residents’ meetings and said they were always given choice regarding their participation. Several people described being able to make decisions about their daily routines, including when to get up, or bathe/shower.