Ferndale Residential Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

People were enabled to take positive risks and were involved with managing their care and support. People told us they felt safe and were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff demonstrated an understanding of how and who to report concerns to. People were supported by enough skilled and trained staff, many of whom had worked at the service for a long time and knew them well.

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.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe living at the service, we observed people to be relaxed in the company of staff. A relative told us, “I feel as if mum is in totally safe hands here, and I have complete peace of mind”. People said they would speak with the registered manager if they had any concerns. Relatives spoke positively about the staff and management, comments included, “The home is very well run, extremely caring and it’s independent, not part of a wider group, that is why I chose it. It is individual, and so is the care.”

Staff had received safeguarding training and knew how to escalate concerns if they were worried about people. A staff member told us, “We are providing a service, we have policies and training in place - if we see any risk we have a duty of care to report it.” The registered manager was clear on their safeguarding responsibilities to make referrals to the local authority under their safeguarding policy.

We observed staff supporting people safely. Staff understood peoples needs and demonstrated their understanding of people’s rights to make their own decisions. For example, we observed staff helping a person with a number of choices about what to have for lunch. Staff respected the persons choices and gave the person time to consider the options whilst they continued to offer support gently and respectfully.

The registered manager and staff made sure they shared any concerns appropriately and operated effective safeguarding processes. These included referrals to the local authority within safeguarding policy and notifications to CQC. People were not unlawfully restricted, staff worked in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). A number of people were subject to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs). The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA, and whether any conditions on authorisations to deprive a person of their liberty had the appropriate legal authority and were being met. The registered manager operated effective systems to ensure DoLs and any conditions were managed safely. Where needed, MCA assessments had been carried out to ascertain whether people had mental capacity to make decisions. Any best interest decisions for people who lacked mental capacity involved people’s legal representatives, relatives, and professionals.

People were enabled to take positive risks and were involved in the planning. One relative told us about their loved ones experiences, "The admission process was thorough. Staff from Ferndale and the local authority all came to see Mum before moving. It was great". Where people lived with health conditions or required equipment to help them, risk assessments and care plans guided staff on how to support people safely. Relatives told us they were confident the service managed risk and staff communicated well when things changed. Comments included, “As Mum’s condition deteriorates, they adapt her care very well indeed”. And regarding an incident, “I am always kept informed. They rang me the following morning to say what had happened – so anything out of the ordinary they tell me.”

Staff told us care plans and risk assessments were accessible and provided good information. The registered manager and staff told us how they had supported a person to maintain their independence by using the stairs with staff support.

We observed people being supported with their mobility and eating and drinking needs in line with their risk assessments.

The service used an electronic care management system (ECM) which were accessible to staff at all times. Care plans and risk assessments provided details on how to safely support people in the way they preferred. A staff member said, “We find our care plans in the devices, everything is on there.”

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

People were supported by enough trained and skilled staff, people and their relatives spoke highly of the registered manager and staff. One told us, "They treat people as if they were one of their own". Further comments included, “I know she is very well looked after, which is a great weight off my mind. She is as happy as she can be in her condition, ‘happy in her own skin’, as one of the staff put it”. Another told us, “ We are very happy with the registered manager , the service is like an extended family”.

Many staff had worked at the service for a long time which meant people benefitted from consistent care, people and staff knew each other well. One staff member told us how managers and the provider had supported them, “It's like my home has been a big part of my life. We're getting new staff more seniors and more time for the residents. I love it here. I've been supported with my health I'm very lucky to be here, the managers and directors have been brilliant they are so good.” A number of staff had recently joined and spoke of their experiences, "I’m loving it here. There are enough staff. The ratio [to people] is really good and getting better as they are recruiting. It feels right, staff are listened to, communications are excellent that’s got a lot to do with the management here. You need staff to feel supported and they are here”. Staff completed training relevant to their role, the registered manager sourced training in response to people’s changing needs. The registered manager told us, “We complete an induction, and the new starters must complete all mandatory training before they are live on the floor, we then issue them with the core training with which they complete in-house within three months which includes their care certificate”.

We observed there were enough staff to support people. Staff had time to spend with people on an individual and social basis as well as respond to their care needs in a timely way. When people used their call bells to summons assistance, staff responded quickly.

Staff were consistently recruited through an effective recruitment process that ensured they were safe to work with people. New staff were expected to complete the care certificate. The care certificate is a set of standards for health and social care professionals, which gives everyone the confidence that workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high-quality care and support. Staff skills and knowledge were monitored through competency checks and supervisions to ensure their knowledge was practiced and embedded.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Medicines optimisation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.