Fernleigh Court Care and 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 inspection we rated this key question Requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to 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. People’s needs were assessed when they started using the service and they were supported to discuss their preferences, likes and dislikes as well as their support needs. The registered manager had learnt from previous experiences in relation to making sure the staff team could support people’s needs when they started using the service. As a result, people had much more positive experiences when they moved into the service than what they were at our last inspection. Staff told us they were supported to get to know people when they started living at the service and updated care plans and the way they supported people based on what they found out about people. One person said, ‘‘I have only been here a little while, but I feel I have fit right in. [Staff] are all so friendly.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘The assessment process was very thorough and [registered manager] really listened to what we wanted.’’

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. The management team stayed up to date with best practice in relation to supporting people. For example, they organised training for staff specifically based around supporting people living with different health conditions such as epilepsy. They updated people’s care plans where necessary and took feedback from visiting professionals seriously to promote best practice. One relative told us, ‘‘I was able to enjoy a break away knowing that [family member] would be well cared for and supported at the service. This is the first time I have felt like this, and it is brilliant that I can trust the staff so much.’’

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. Staff told us they worked well together and shared information regularly to help make sure people had positive and consistent support. Staff worked well with other professionals to help people have positive outcomes in relation to their health. A positive relationship had been formed with professionals such as GP’s and physiotherapists who visited the service regularly. One professional said, ‘‘We have a good working rapport with staff and management, and they listen to our advice for the best of people.’’ A person said, ‘‘We (people using the service and staff team) all have a good laugh together.’’

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing and supported them to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. People were supported to be healthy in ways such as eating and drinking enough and being supported to not develop pressure sores. Staff knew how to support people with their needs, for example by preparing their food and drink in ways that were safe for them or supporting them to do exercises to stay healthy. Staff in charge of providing food and drink for people were trained to ensure people were safe and took the time to speak with people about the food on offer and the mealtime experiences. People and relatives were positive about the food at the service. One person said, ‘‘Well I always have a clean plate so the food must be really good.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] never used to eat and this was a big concern of ours. Since they have been at the service, they eat 3 meals a day and the staff always make sure they remind them to snack and drink through the day.’’

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that people’s health outcomes were positive and consistent. The management and staff team reviewed people’s care plans and records to help ensure they were being supported in line with their support needs. People had experienced good outcomes in relation to their health needs such as not developing pressure sores or being supported to maintain healthy weights. The registered manager had changed systems since the last inspection to help ensure health related outcomes were being monitored more closely. This had led to prompt professional support being sought where necessary and better outcomes for people. One person said, ‘‘Thanks to the help of the staff team I can get out and about in my wheelchair now and I do this as often as I can.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] would stay in bed all day given the choice, but staff have worked hard to encourage them to get up and about and join in. They enjoy doing this now and it has made a big difference.’’

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering support. People were supported in line with the MCA. Where people did not have capacity to consent to their support, assessments were completed and decisions were made in their best interest, with involvement from those who knew them well. Staff understood the principles of the MCA and knew the importance of asking people for consent. One person said, ‘‘I have my own mind. [Staff] always ask me if it is okay for them to help me.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] has started to need more help making decisions but [staff] will make sure everything they do is something they would have chosen to do before.’’