Fairholme Nursing Home

Fairholme is a care home registered to provide nursing and personal care for up to 60 people. At the time of our visit there were 48 people living at the service. Fairholme is situated in the town of Cambourne. It is a two-storey building with a range of aids and adaptations in place to meet the needs of people living there.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Before this inspection we received concerns about low staffing levels, staff absences not being covered and a lack of appropriate and person-centred care.

At this inspection we found no evidence that staffing levels were or had been unsafe and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. The management team had the authority to cover for staff absences, and apart from the occasional short notice absence, shifts were always covered. The service had some staff vacancies and recruitment to these posts was on-going.

People’s health conditions were well managed and where people needed specific care, to manage on-going conditions, there were treatment plans in place that provided clear instructions for staff. Treatment plans were followed, and daily records of the care provided were completed, after each intervention, helping to ensure people received consistent care.

People’s care plans were person-centred and reflected each person’s needs and preferences. People told us, and we observed, that staff were attentive to people’s needs and provided care in a personalised and individual way. People were relaxed and comfortable with staff and had no hesitation in asking for help from them. Comments from people and relatives included, "It's nice living here", "They are all friendly and approachable" and "It's alright here, staff are really good."

People were offered a range of healthy meal choices. In response to a recent COVID-19 outbreak, fewer people were using the dining room and more people were eating meals in their rooms, to help reduce the risk of the spread of the virus. As a result of this people were currently being served a hot dessert at the same time as their main course. People we spoke with and observed were happy with this arrangement and we saw that desserts were covered in cling film to keep them warm. We were assured this practice was being kept under review.

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.

Staff were informed about people’s changing needs through effective shift handovers and informative records of the daily care provided for people. Risks were identified and staff had guidance to help them support people to reduce the risk of avoidable harm.

There was time for people to have social interaction and activity with staff. Individual and group activities were provided for people. Some people spent their time in their room or in bed because of their health needs or personal preferences. The activities co-ordinator spent one-to-one time, with people who stayed in their rooms, engaging in conversations or individual activities. This helped to prevent people from being socially isolated.

Staff knew how to keep people safe from harm. Staff had received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely, including the management of medicines.

The premises were clean and well maintained. Where faults or repairs were needed these were rectified in a timely manner. People had access to equipment where needed.

Cleaning and infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection. Government guidance about COVID-19 testing for people, staff and visitors was being followed.

People and their families were given information about how to complain and told us they would feel comfortable raising a concern. People, their relatives and staff told us they thought the service was well managed and communication with the management was good. People were regularly asked for their views on the service provided and feedback was used to make continuous improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was re-registered with us on 21/05/2021 and this is the first inspection under the new registration. The last rating for the service, under the previous legal entity, was good, published on 6 February 2018.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing levels and the quality of the care provided for people. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks as well as carrying out the first comprehensive inspection for a newly registered service.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led sections of this full report.

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 intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.