Fernleigh Court Care and Nursing Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last inspection we rated this key question Requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to Good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 69 (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 received person-centred care that was in line with their preferences, likes and dislikes. Staff and the management team knew people well and knew how they wanted to be supported. They made changes to people’s support if their preferences changed. People’s care plans were individualised and detailed how people wanted to be supported in line with their individual likes and dislikes. We saw staff supporting people in line with their individual preferences. For example, speaking about preferred topics or researching places to go in the community which may interest people. One person said, ‘‘[Staff [ know what I like and what I don’t like. They treat you really well here.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] has everything they need at the service. [Staff] know exactly how to support them.’’

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. Staff understood and respected people’s cultural support needs, in relation to the food they chose to eat and the religious practices they wished to follow. The registered manager had concentrated efforts to improve continuity of staff by retaining staff members and reducing the need to use unfamiliar staff who do not work directly for the service. Staff were also designated to work on one floor of the service as far as possible to further help with continuity of care. One person said, ‘‘I know a lot of the staff now and they all say hello to me.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘It is like a different place in relation to staffing. We do not see new faces every time we visit [family member] and I think this really helps.’’

The provider did not always supply appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Whilst forms of communication such as pictures and objects were available to support people, they were not consistently used by the staff team. Documents such as care plans and meeting minutes with people were not always available in ways all people would understand. The management team were aware this was an area that still needed some improvement and showed us evidence these improvements would be considered and made in the near future.

Staff spoke with people in a slow and relaxed way to help make sure people understood what was being communicated with them. People and relatives were invited to meetings to discuss what was happening at the service so information could be shared with them. Staff had daily handovers to discuss how people’s support needs may have changed or any other information they needed to know. One person said, ‘‘I am always offered a choice of what I want to do.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘I talk to staff a lot and they update me with any information I need whenever anything happens. I don’t have to ask.’’

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment, and support. People fed back about the service in regular meetings. If they chose not to attend meetings then they were able to speak with the management or staff team on a one-to-one basis. Staff also spoke with people throughout the day whilst supporting them. People and their relatives were given the opportunity to be involved in discussing care plans and risk assessments. One person said, ‘‘I just let the staff know if I need a chat.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘Since day one we have been completely involved in every aspect of [family member’s] care and we are always asked for our opinions.’’

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support, and treatment they needed when they needed it. People had access to equipment the needed to be mobile and to move around the service and these were checked regularly. Staff supported people to contact health professionals such as GP’s or speech and language therapists if necessary and supported them to attend appointments with these professionals. Professionals were positive about how the staff team worked with them to support people.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met the expectations of people and their relatives. We observed people enjoying the social pastimes on offer such as playing bingo, going out for coffee, or playing games with the staff team. The registered manager and staff team had made large improvements in relation to how they spoke with people about their interests and how they liked to spend their time. Staff who were dedicated to social pastimes then made sure they included these interests in any social interactions that were offered to people. People had been supported to access the community if they chose to do so or engage in their preferred pastimes as a result. One person said, ‘‘Some things I like and some things I don’t. I always know something else will happen if I don’t want to do something that is not to my liking.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘The staff team are amazing and [family member’s] life has changed dramatically since they started living there. They now take part in social activities all the time and have made friends. This is something they never would have been able to do before.’’

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. People had been supported to put plans in place for the future including the end of their lives. A lot of people and relatives told us they/their family member wanted to stay at the service as long as possible, and they were assured the management and staff team could and would support this. One relative told us, ‘‘[Family member] is on ‘end of life’ care and [staff] really do give them the best support. They are very comfortable.’’