Ferndale Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good.

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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People told us staff listened to them, respected their choices, and supported them to live the lives they wanted. Bedrooms were personalised and decorated according to individual preferences, and care plans contained relevant personal information to help staff provide person-centred care. People described staff as respectful and considerate, commenting, “The staff are lovely and we see the same faces which is really nice. They are always respectful” and “They always knock before entering my room. They are always respectful and pleasant.” One person said moving to the home had initially been “daunting”, but staff helped them feel listened to, understood and reassured.

Staff consistently interacted with people in a caring, compassionate and dignified manner. We observed warm and positive interactions, with staff chatting, laughing and singing with people, helping to promote wellbeing and meaningful social engagement. Relatives spoke positively about the care provided, with one relative stating, “[Relative] has been here for some time, and [they have] enjoyed living here.” Feedback from professionals was also positive, with comments including, “Staff are always happy” and “They are all really friendly, very approachable, very caring.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Relatives described staff as taking time to get to know their family members and understanding what was important to them.

Staff respected people’s preferred names, personal appearance choices and daily routines, supporting them to maintain their identity and live in accordance with their values and beliefs. During the assessment, we observed staff promoting people’s independence while providing support when required, such as at mealtimes, demonstrating a person-centred approach that respected people’s dignity, preferences and autonomy.

Care records contained detailed information about people’s needs, interests, preferences and life histories, enabling staff to provide personalised care. Staff supported people in line with their individual preferences, including choices about activities and where they wished to eat their meals. Discussions with staff demonstrated they knew people well and understood their needs. One staff member told us, “The care plans are really good. Reading care plans helped me with what I need to know.” This reflected the importance placed on understanding people as individuals and delivering care tailored to their wishes and needs.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

The provider recognised and responded to people as individuals, ensuring care, support and treatment were tailored to their assessed needs and personal preferences. People’s assessments considered their strengths, abilities, aspirations, cultural backgrounds and life experiences, enabling staff to provide person-centred care that reflected what was important to them.

The service provided a varied programme of activities and social opportunities, both within the home and in the local community. The Activities Coordinator spoke passionately about their role and demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting people’s wellbeing and engagement. There was clear evidence that people were offered a wide range of meaningful activities and experiences, including a recent group day trip to Bridlington.

Feedback from relatives was positive regarding the opportunities available and the respect shown for people’s choices. One relative told us, “[Relative] will mix when they want to or have time to themselves, they can choose what to do.” This demonstrated that people were supported to make their own decisions about how they spent their time. Another relative said, “There are activities going on all the time, hair done and nails. Always activities going on.” Throughout the assessment, we observed staff offering people choices and respecting their preferences. Care records reflected people’s wishes, and relatives confirmed their loved ones were supported to maintain control over their daily lives. One relative explained, “[Person] has their specific ways, the staff know these though, like how to make sure they eat and how important it is that they feel in control.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

During the inspection, we observed staff providing timely and responsive support. Staff recognised when people required assistance and responded appropriately to changes in behaviour that indicated a need for support, helping to ensure people’s needs were met in a prompt and dignified way.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the management team and described managers as approachable, responsive and supportive. They told us their views were listened to, they felt valued in their roles, and requests for adjustments to working patterns were accommodated where possible. Staff said they had positive relationships with their line managers and felt well supported in their day-to-day work.

Feedback from staff reflected a strong team culture, with one member of staff describing the service as a "close-knit team". Staff worked collaboratively to ensure people received consistent care and support. During our assessment, we observed a calm and reassuring atmosphere, with staff responding to people in a kind, compassionate and respectful manner. Open communication and effective teamwork helped to promote positive outcomes for people using the service.