Fernleigh House

Updated 3 January 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection was conducted on 07 November 2017 and it was unannounced. This meant that people did not know we were going to visit.

Fernleigh House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided. Both were looked at during this inspection.

Fernleigh House accommodates up to six people in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were six people who lived there. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the ‘Registering the Right Support’ and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

One Adult Social Care Inspector from CQC conducted this inspection. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Prior to this inspection we looked at all the information we held about this service, including information the provider had told us about, such as significant events. Due to the complex needs of those who lived at the home, we were unable to obtain their views about the quality of service provided. However, we listened to what other people had to tell us, such as staff members, community professionals and relatives of those who lived at Fernleigh House. We also asked for feedback from local commissioners about the services provided by Fernleigh House.

The provider had sent us their Provider Information Return [PIR] within the timeframes requested. A PIR gives us key information about the service and tells us about improvements they intend to make.

Other methods we used for gathering evidence included observations and pathway tracking the care and support of two people who used the service. Pathway tracking enables us to establish if people are receiving the care and support they need. We also looked at a wide range of records, including a variety of policies and procedures, medication records, quality monitoring systems and the personnel files of two staff members.

Updated 3 January 2018

Fernleigh House is a care home providing accommodation and personal care and support for up to six adults who have severe learning disabilities, complex behavioural needs and communication difficulties. Fernleigh House is a detached modern house decorated and furnished in a contemporary style. There are two lounges, two dining rooms, an arts and crafts area and sensory room. All the bedrooms are single and four have en-suite facilities. There is a large garden which is equipped with recreational facilities.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People were safe using the services of Fernleigh House. Recruitment practices and safeguarding policies helped to protect people from harm. Detailed assessments provided good guidance for staff about how health care risks could be minimised and we found medicines were being, in general well managed. This helped to ensure people were kept safe. However, we made a recommendation about hand written entries on the Medication Administration Records (MARs) being signed, witnessed and countersigned, to ensure transcription errors were minimised.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems of the service supported this practice.

Personal development for staff was an important aspect of the organisations ethos. This was supported by detailed induction programmes, regular supervisions, annual appraisals and a varied training schedule for all those who were employed. This helped to ensure the staff team was knowledgeable, competent and confident to deliver the care and support people needed.

Staff members were kind and caring towards those who used the service. People’s privacy, dignity and independence were consistently promoted. The staff team had received training in relation to equality and diversity. This helped to ensure that everyone was treated equally and were afforded the same opportunities.

Complaints were being well managed and people were offered appropriate choices at all times. The plans of care were person centred; providing staff with clear guidance about people’s assessed needs and how these needs were to be best met. This helped to ensure people received the care and support relevant to their individual health and social care needs.

Regular audits, surveys and risk assessments had been conducted, so the quality of service could be closely monitored. This helped to ensure people were receiving the care and support they required. Meetings for staff and service users were held at regular intervals. This enabled people to be involved in decisions about how the service was run.