We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Fernes on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Fernes, you can give feedback on this service.
The Fernes is a care home providing personal care for 50 older people at the time of the inspection. The home is situated in Fareham and accommodation was provided over three floors. The middle floor was called Memory Lane where support was provided for people who lived with dementia. General residential care was provided on the top and ground floors. The service can support up to 52 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by exceptionally kind, caring and compassionate staff who consistently promoted people’s dignity, privacy and independence. Strong caring values ran through the home. These placed people at the centre of their care and created a warm and friendly family like environment. People and their relatives felt at home in the service. Staff often went the extra mile to ensure people enjoyed a good quality of life.
People felt safe at the Fernes. Safeguarding policies and procedures were in place and staff were confident in the actions to take if abuse were suspected. There were enough staff deployed to meet the needs of people. Staff knew how to promote people's safety and mitigate risks to people's health and welfare. Medicines were administered safely by staff.
Considerable thought had been taken to ensure people lived in a home that met their needs. People, relatives and staff were highly complimentary of the environment. The home was clean and good infection control processes were in place.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People received personalised care that met their needs and preferences. People had access to a wide range of activities that met their individual needs.
Staff were supported in their roles and had received training, so they were able to support people effectively. Staff enjoyed their work and told us they felt valued. Professionals told us the home worked well with them to ensure good outcomes for people.
People and their relatives knew how to raise concerns. They had confidence in the registered manager and numerous complimentary comments were given about the running of the service. A quality assurance system was in place to continually assess, monitor and improve the service. People, relatives, professionals and staff told us they would recommend the home to others.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 2 August 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
There is no required follow up to this inspection, however we will continue to monitor the service through information we receive.
This was the first inspection of this home since it had been newly registered with the Commission in July 2016.
A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.
People were supported by staff who had a good understanding of how to keep them safe, identify signs of abuse and report these appropriately. Robust processes to check the suitability of staff to work with people were in place. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet the needs of people and they received appropriate training and support to ensure people were cared for in line with their needs and preferences.
Medicines were administered, stored and ordered in a safe and effective way. For people who chose to manage their own medicines, staff encouraged and supported them to manage these safely.
Risk assessments in place informed plans of care for people to ensure their safety and welfare, and staff had a good awareness of these. Incidents and accidents were clearly documented and investigated. Actions and learning were identified from these and shared with all staff.
People were encouraged and supported to make decisions about their care and welfare. Where people could not consent to their care, staff sought appropriate guidance and followed legislation designed to protect people’s rights and freedom.
People received a wide variety of nutritious meals in line with their needs and preferences. Meals were well presented and staff supported people at mealtimes in a calm and supportive way. People had access to fresh fruit, snacks and drinks throughout the day and were encouraged to be independent with these. Those who required specific dietary requirements for a health need were supported to manage these.
Staff showed skill in communicating with people who had memory problems or lived with dementia. They were calm, kind and gentle in their interactions with people and people responded well to the support offered to them. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained and staff were caring and considerate as they supported people. Staff involved people and their relatives in the planning of their care.
Care plans in place for people reflected their identified needs and the associated risks. Staff were caring and compassionate and knew people in the home very well. External health and social care professionals were involved in the care of people and care plans reflected this.
The registered manager promoted an open and honest culture for working which was fair and supportive to all staff. Staff felt supported in their roles and people and their relatives spoke highly of all staff.
Effective systems were in place to monitor and evaluate any concerns or complaints received and to ensure learning outcomes or improvements were identified from these. Staff encouraged people and their relatives to share their concerns and experiences with them.