The Firs Care Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

People lived in a home where further development was needed to make sure there were clear systems to monitor and improve the quality of care people received.

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 registered manager told us the ethos of the home was to improve people’s daily life by inclusion in activities. All staff spoken with felt it was a good place to work. One member of staff said, “It’s really good. I love it here.” One member of staff said all care should be focussed on the person, however they felt that not all staff, particularly new staff, were providing person centred care. Our observations confirmed some people were receiving very task focussed care and there was limited social stimulation.

All staff received training in person centred care and equality and diversity. Individual supervisions and staff meetings were used to ensure staff were aware of the expected culture and direction of the home.

The registered manager was carrying out their role effectively. They were open, honest and approachable. One visitor said about the registered manager, “He’s very approachable, he won’t stand for any nonsense.” Staff were very complimentary about the leadership of the home. One member of staff said. “It’s a good place to work because there is really good management.”

There was a registered manager in post who was also the operations manager for the provider group. They told us they planned to have a manager based at the home who would apply to be the registered manager. Since the care home was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) there had been two managers appointed to the home, but both had left after a short period before registering with CQC. The registered manager told us a new manager had been recruited and would start work at the home shortly. Each shift was led by a qualified nurse and team leader. We saw senior staff did not always lead by example to give guidance to less experienced staff. This meant there was not always a visible role model to demonstrate good quality person centred care.

Staff said the management of the home were very approachable, and they would be comfortable to share any worries or concerns. People said if they had any complaints, they would be comfortable to discuss them with the registered manager.

The provider had policies and procedures for speaking up and making a complaint. These policies gave information about how to raise issues and what people or staff could expect to happen.

Staff felt fairly treated and respected by the management and their colleagues. Throughout our visits we saw staffed worked together to create a pleasant atmosphere for people to live in.

The provider had policies and procedures to make sure staff were fairly recruited and treated.

A qualified nurse was available on all shifts which meant that people’s individual healthcare needs were monitored. Staff spoken with felt improvements had been made since the new owners had taken over the running of the home. They felt roles and responsibilities were clearer, and a more permanent staff group had led to greater consistency for people.

There were quality monitoring audits in place. However, these had not always been effective in identifying issues and ensuring changes were made to promote people’s wellbeing. For example, care plan audits had not identified people were not always receiving care and support in accordance with their assessed needs. People’s individual care records were not always comprehensive. For example, support to help people to reposition, and minimise risks of pressure damage to people’s skin, were not well recorded. The registered manager had identified poor record keeping as an area for improvement, and we noted it was discussed at a staff meeting. Audits of the building had led to improvements in the environment and further improvements had been planned. Action plans were produced following individual audits. This helped to ensure shortfalls highlighted led to improvements. However, there was no overall action plan for the home. This meant there was no holistic plan in place to drive improvement across the whole home.

The staff worked with other professionals and groups to meet people’s needs and promote their wellbeing. No one raised any concerns about access to specialist services.

Staff felt they had good relationships with local professionals which enabled them to meet people’s needs.

A visiting professional felt the home worked well with them. We were told the staff checked in regularly with healthcare professionals and always followed recommendations given.

The provider had policies and procedures to ensure information was effectively shared with appropriate agencies. This included sharing concerns with the local safeguarding team.

The registered manager was honest and acknowledged further improvements were needed to make sure everyone received high quality care. The registered manager was committed to making improvements to make sure high-quality person-centred care was provided to everyone. There was a high number of new staff. Training and support had been provided to increase staff’s knowledge and skills. One member of staff told us, “Lots of new staff. Lots of improvements but more to do.”

The registered manager facilitated meetings to make sure staff, people and their relatives were able to make suggestions. The registered manager was visible in the home and informally sought people’s views on a regular basis. The provider used audits and quality monitoring tools to learn and improve the service offered. For example, audits of falls had led to the provision of specialist equipment for 1 person and future audits showed this had had a positive impact for the person.