Fern House

Updated 1 June 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Fern House is a supported living service. This service provides care and support to people living in three ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Registered manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the registered manager or a member of the management team would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection.

During the inspection, we visited the office and a supported living setting. We spoke with the two service managers for the support services in Havering and Essex, and two support staff. We also spoke with two people who used the service.

We reviewed documents and records that related to people’s care and the management of the service. We reviewed three care plans, which included risk assessments. We looked at other documents such as medicine management records and infection control procedures.

After the inspection we spoke with the registered manager by telephone, because they were not available on the day of our inspection. We also spoke with two relatives for their feedback about the service, by telephone.

Updated 1 June 2022

About the service

Fern House is a supported living service for people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and/or autism. The service supports eight people in various supported living accommodation in the London Borough of Havering and in the county of Essex. At the time of the inspection, seven people were using the service.

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 using the service were safe. They were supported to be as independent as possible. People lived in their own homes or in shared accommodation that contained individual flats, which they could personalise. People had control of how their care and support was arranged. People were supported to maintain a good quality of life, use local services and avoid social isolation. For example, they pursued their interests and they were supported with maintaining relationships with family and friends. We observed staff supporting people to go about their daily lives, such as their regular activities and routines. One person we visited was looking forward to going out with a relative, who was visiting them that day. Another person wanted to go to the seaside and staff accompanied them there.

Right care:

People and staff had developed positive relationships with each other. Care plans were person-centred for people to receive care that met their needs and preferences. Staff ensured people's dignity, privacy and human rights were respected. 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's sensory and behaviour support needs were understood and met. Their communication abilities were assessed so that staff could engage and interact with them appropriately.

Right culture:

The values and attitudes of staff and managers encouraged people to feel positive in their daily lives. People were listened to and respected. The registered manager monitored the service to check people were safe and received a good standard of care. Staff were recruited appropriately to ensure they were suitable to work with people. Staff were assessed and trained to carry out their roles effectively. Feedback was sought from people and relatives to help make continuous improvements to the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 24 December 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on a review of information we held about the service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.