24 September 2021
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Ferndale Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 16 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 17 people and specialises in dementia care. The home is a detached property, near to local shops, the railway station and a church. There is a communal lounge, conservatory and garden. A passenger lift is available for people to access the first floor.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People appeared happy at the home and were at ease in the company of staff. Strong relationships were formed between staff and people due to the continuity of staff and the caring approach of staff members. We observed staff treating people with dignity and respect. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as they were able and to participate in the life of the home.
There was a calm and happy atmosphere when we visited. Care staff were well informed about risks to people's health or wellbeing and knew how to deliver their care safely. People had personalised care plans which enabled staff to understand their needs and preferences. Staffing levels were enough to meet people's needs. People were offered a varied diet and snacks and drinks were readily available.
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.
Staff felt supported and had received training to deliver safe and effective care to people. One staff member told us, “I love working here. The staff, the residents, everyone is so nice. The manager makes the staff and residents feel at home.” Another said, “We give good care. I wouldn’t go and work anywhere else."
The home was clean, and staff had been trained in infection prevention and control. There were clear measures in place to manage the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed some staff wearing their masks below the nose and discussed the importance of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly with the registered manager.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 8 September 2018).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to check on specific concerns we received anonymously about risk management, people’s choices being respected, night staffing levels and the ability of staff to meet people’s needs. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good.
CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.
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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ferndale Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.