We carried out a review of the data available to us about Fern Leaf Carehome Limited 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 Fern Leaf Carehome Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Fern Leaf Carehome (38 Bedford Road) is a care home registered to accommodate and support up to five people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and/or autism. At the time of the inspection, five people were living at the home. The home has three floors with separate adapted facilities and ensuite rooms.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, Right care, Right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support: People had control of how their care and support was arranged. People were supported to integrate into the local community and be as independent as possible.
Right care: Staff ensured people's dignity, privacy and human rights were respected. People received care and support that was personalised for their needs.
Right culture: The values and attitudes of staff and managers in the home enabled people to be as independent as possible and feel empowered in their daily lives.
People told us they felt safe in the home. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risks to people’s health were assessed so staff could support them safely. Medicines were administered safely to people. However, we made a recommendation for the temperature of the storage room to be monitored because the medicine cabinet could be exposed to strong sunlight which could affect the quality of medicines.
The provider recruited staff appropriately and checked they were suitable to work with people. There were enough staff working in the home to support people. Systems were in place to prevent and control infections, such as COVID-19. Lessons were learned following accidents and incidents in the home.
Staff were trained to carry out their roles and received an induction upon their employment. Staff felt supported in their roles. People were encouraged to maintain a balanced diet and their nutritional needs were monitored. They attended health appointments with professionals to help they remain in good health.
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 and staff got to know each other well. Care plans were person-centred so people could receive care that met their needs and preferences. Their future end of life wishes were discussed with them. People pursued their interests and were supported to avoid social isolation. Systems were in place to manage complaints. People’s communication needs were met. Feedback was sought from people to help make continuous improvements to the home.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
At the last inspection, the service was inspected but not rated (report published 20 October 2020) because we carried out a targeted inspection that looked at specific areas.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on a review of information we held about the service and because the service was unrated.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
The home is an adapted two floor building with facilities, including en-suite bathrooms. The home was situated in a residential area close to the town centre. The home’s building design fitted into the residential area and other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home.
The service was registered to provide support to up to five people and there were five people using the service at the time of our inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
The service was safe. People were protected from the risk of abuse. There was a safeguarding procedure for staff to follow and staff understood how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. People had risk assessments in place to manage their care and support needs and keep them safe. There were enough staff in the home and they were recruited safely.
There was a procedure for reporting accidents and incidents and learning lessons to prevent reoccurrence. However, incident and accident reporting forms were not were not easily accessible to staff and we have made a recommendation about this.
Premises and equipment safety was maintained to ensure the home environment was safe. There was an infection control procedure for staff and we were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.
Quality assurance systems were in place and there was clear oversight of the home from the management team. There was a system for people and relatives to provide their feedback about the quality of the service. Meetings with staff were held to discuss important topics and go through concerns.
Rating at last inspection and update
This service was registered with us on 20 March 2020 and this is the first inspection.
The last rating for the service under Hillsview Care Services Limited was Good, published on 2 August 2017.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the safety of people in services managed by the provider. For example, a lack of staff which meant people were put at risk of harm. A decision was made for us to inspect this service and examine those risks.
CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on a Warning Notice or other specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.