Fernways

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good.

This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good.

This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion.

The management team operated an ‘open door’ policy. People and their relatives were encouraged to contact them if they had any issues and this helped to ensure the service ran smoothly.

People and their relatives felt the service was managed well and did not raise any concerns with us. The management team encouraged people, relatives and staff to contact them if they had any concerns or issues to discuss. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and felt valued by the management team.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The management team treated everyone with dignity and valued their contributions regardless of their position or background. They fostered an environment where people, their relatives and staff were able to express themselves.

People and their relatives mentioned that the management team were accessible and friendly. People told us they were happy with the way staff and the support being offered. They were aware of how to raise issues of concern to the service.

Staff were provided with information and guidance, which covered a number of areas to do with their roles and responsibilities. They felt valued and supported by the management team and were included in discussions about the service.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The provider had a whistleblowing policy which guided staff on how they could raise concerns about any unsafe practice. Freedom to speak up is about creating an environment where individuals feel comfortable and safe to express their opinions and concerns.Staff were aware of whistleblowing policy and knew how to raise concerns about any unsafe practice.

The provider had created a positive culture where staff were empowered to speak out, knowing that they were supported to do so and that their voice would be heard.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The provider ensured staff were provided with the same opportunities and resources thus ensuring fairness and removing barriers. Staff felt a sense of belonging, valued and had equal access to opportunities.

There were regular meetings held with staff where important messages about the service were discussed. Staff could contribute ideas and found the meetings informative.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support.

At the last inspection, we found the systems to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service and to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of service users had not always been effective.

During this assessment, we found improvements had been made around all of the concerns we identified at our previous inspection.

There was a clear and effective governance and management arrangements in place. A range of tools were used to assess and monitor the delivery of care and support to people. Checks were carried out in areas such as care plans, health and safety, medicines and staff training.

The management team also carried out regular unannounced checks on staff to ensure they were providing care and support to people in a safe way and to the required standard.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people.

Information about the involvement of healthcare professionals in people’s care was available so that staff had the necessary information to support people to meet their healthcare needs. The management team worked well with other health and social care services to ensure people’s needs were met.

Staff were aware of people’s needs and were able to identify if people became unwell and if they needed to see other health professionals such as their GPs.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

There were processes to ensure that learning happened when things went wrong, and from examples of good practice, for example, following an accident or incident.

The provider sought the views of people using the service and their relatives through different ways, which included completing satisfaction surveys and home visits. We saw the information received was analysed to improve the quality of the service provided.