Fernleigh Court Care and Nursing Home

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

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last inspection we rated this key question Requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to Good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

At our last inspection the provider was in breach of the of legal regulations in relation to good governance. Improvements were found at this inspection,and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

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. Staff understood their main role was to support people to have the best experiences possible. The registered manager and management team had worked hard to create a positive culture at the service. People were happy and relaxed being supported by staff. Feedback from people, relatives and professionals were that there was a friendly ‘family’ atmosphere at the service and that there had been a real improvement in the culture of the service over the last year. One person said, ‘‘It is a lovely place, and staff are always on the lookout for people’s best interests.’’

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care and support. They did so with integrity, openness, and honesty. The registered manager and deputy managers were a very active presence at the service, spending time with people and staff. This meant they were aware of any support that was needed in real time, and that people and staff saw them as a part of the team and as someone that can be relied upon. The management team listened and took feedback seriously. As a result, people and the staff team felt included in discussions about the running of the service. Overall, staff felt well supported by the management team. People and relatives told us the management team were kind and caring. One person said, ‘‘[Managers] are always walking about, and we can ask to see them whenever we need to.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘As an entire company they are friendly and supportive and always give us the best advice if we have any questions.’’

The provider fostered a culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff knew how to speak up and raise concerns and told us they would feel comfortable doing this. People and relatives knew what to do if they needed to make a complaint and were assured that these would be investigated and taken seriously. The management team kept a record of concerns and made sure people were responded to with a resolution and any changes that would be made as a result of the concern being raised. One relative said, ‘‘I would feel very comfortable speaking up if I needed to.’’

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. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt well supported by the management team. The provider supported their equality and wellbeing by offering preferred working patterns and discussing their job roles with them regularly. The providers recruitment process was fair and equitable.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability or good governance. Audits and governance measures at the service were effective and the management team had a good oversight of risk and the quality of people’s care and support. This covered areas such as health and safety, improvements to the service, people’s experiences and staff training and supervision. Plans were in place to help ensure the sustainability of the service.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. People saw health professionals if this was needed. Visiting professionals were positive about the staff team and how they worked with them. The management team worked well with partners such as the local authority. Staff supported people to places of interest in the local community such as cafes and garden centres. Staff made an effort to encourage and support people to be a part of the local community at the service by spending time with each other in communal areas and taking part in shared interests and pastimes. One person said, ‘‘I come out and about and see my friends. The staff put on things like quizzes and bingo.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Staff] make sure to encourage [family member] to take part in things and they know this makes a difference.’’

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement. The management team had improvement plans in place based on findings from internal and external audits. Actions on improvement plans were monitored to help make sure improvements were benefitting people using the service. Staff told us they were involved in discussions and meetings about the service and their feedback about how to improve the service was listened to and taken seriously. The registered manager and staff team had made significant improvements at the service since our last inspection. People were happy with their support and relatives told us they felt the service had and continued to improve. One person said, ‘‘It is very good and I love living here.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘I think [management team] put a big plan in place after an inspection and had lots of actions to complete. You can really feel the difference this has made to the feel of the service and the way [family member] is feeling. It is so nice to see them so happy.’’