Fern Lea is registered with the Care Quality Commission [CQC] to provide care and accommodation for 18 older people who may be living with dementia.
It is large converted Victorian building and accommodation is provided over three floors. The upper floors are accessed by stairs or stair lifts, there is no passenger lift. Communal areas on the ground floor comprise of a lounge and a dining room. The garden has been adapted with raised flower beds and seating areas.
It is situated in a park and has good access to local facilities and amenities. It also has good access to public transport routes to the city centre.
This inspection took place on 29 June 2015 and was unannounced. The service was last inspected in April 2014 and was found to be compliant with the regulations inspected at that time.
The registered provider is also the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff understood the importance of reporting abuse if they witnessed it and how to keep people who used the service safe from harm. They had received training in how to recognise abuse and how make sure this was reported to the proper authorities.
Staff had been recruited safely and were provided in enough numbers to meet the needs of the people who used the service. This ensured, as far as practicable, people needs were met and they we not exposed to staff who had been barred from working with vulnerable adults.
People who used the service were provided with a wholesome and nutritious diet which was of their choosing. People’s weight and food consumption was monitored and staff involved health care professionals when needed. Staff had received training which enabled them to meet the needs of the people who used the service; they also received support to gain further qualifications and experience. This meant people were cared for by staff who had the skills and who received support to meet their needs. People’s human rights were respected and upheld by staff who had received training in the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to access their GPs and district nurses supported the staff to ensure people’s health needs were met.
Staff understood people’s needs and were kind and caring. People had good relationships with the staff and they had been involved with the formulation of their care plans and reviews. Where people needed support to agree their care this had been arranged and family members had been involved or advocates.
People received care which was person centred and staff understood and respected people’s choice and wishes and respected people’s dignity. The service provided a range of activities for people to participate in, which included activities within the service and in the local community. People were supported to pursue individual hobbies and interests and staff took the time to engage those people who were living with dementia in meaningful activities.
There was a complaint procedure in place for people to use if they felt the need to express dissatisfaction with the service provided. The registered provider investigated any concerns to the satisfaction of the complainant. All complaints were recorded and the outcome shared with the complainant, any action taken as result of a complaint was recorded and any lessons learnt were shared with the staff.
People who used the service were involved with the running of the service. The registered provider sought people’s views and opinions; they also sought the views of others who had an interest in the person’s wellbeing. The registered provider had a range of audits and checks which ensured, as far as practicable, people lived in a safe well run service. The management style of the registered provider was open and inclusive, people who used the service and staff could approach them and felt comfortable doing so. Staff meetings were held so the registered provider could share information with the staff.
The registered provider analysed all incidents and accidents to see if there were any trends or patterns and put action plans in place to address any shortfalls identified. The registered provider informed the CQC of any notifiable incidents so we had up to date information on which to assess the ongoing quality of the service provided.