Archived: Fern Lea

Updated 9 August 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 checked whether the registered provider was 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 inspection was unannounced and took place on 17 July 2018. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

As part of the inspection planning we reviewed the information the registered provider had given us since the last inspection. We looked at information provided by the local authority, safeguarding team and commissioning team.

We checked the information we held about the registered provider and the home. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about incidents and accidents that had occurred at the home. A notification is information about important events which occur at the home that they are required to send us by law.

The registered provider had completed and submitted a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give us some key information about the home, what the home does well and any improvements they plan to make. This information formed part of the inspection planning and was used during the inspection visit.

During the inspection we observed and spoke to people living at the home, four relatives of people living at the home, the registered manager and two staff. We observed staff supporting people throughout our visit.

We looked at two care plan files, two staff recruitment and training files, medication administration records (MARs), complaints, policies and procedures and other records that related to the running of the home.

Updated 9 August 2018

This inspection was carried out on 17 July 2018 and was unannounced.

Fern Lea is a care home for four adults with a learning disability. The home is in a secluded semi rural location on the outskirts of Chester. Transport is required to access local shops and other amenities.

The home has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection in February 2016, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good. The service is rated Good as it had met all the requirements of the fundamental standards.

Recruitment systems at the home continued to be safe and robust. There were sufficient trained and competent staff to meet people's individual assessed needs. All staff undertook an induction at the start of their employment and completed shadow shifts to fully understand their role and the people they supported. The staff were supported by the management team through on-going supervision and team meetings.

Staff described procedures that were in place to safeguard the people they supported. They fully understood the safeguarding policies and procedures and felt confident to raise a concern and thought they would be listened to.

Medicines were ordered, stored, administered and disposed of in accordance with best practice guidelines. All staff had undertaken medicines training and had their competency regularly assessed. The registered provider had medicines policies and procedures in place.

People living at the home had an individualised care plan and risk assessments in place to meet their assessed needs. People's needs that related to age, disability, religion or other protected characteristics were considered throughout the assessment and care planning process. Clear guidance was included within the care plans the staff to follow that ensured people's needs were met. Staff had a good understanding of people's histories and were able to describe each person they supported in detail. People were supported to undertake activities of their choice and their independence was promoted.

People were supported with their nutrition and hydration needs. Clear guidance was available for staff to follow when people had specific dietary needs. People spoke positively about their mealtime experiences and told us they were always offered choice.

Staff knew people well and demonstrated kindness and compassion. People's privacy and dignity was respected. Relatives were consistently complimentary about the staff and management team.

The registered provider had a clear complaints policy and procedure that relatives were familiar with and felt confident any concerns would be listened to.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and report on what we found. We saw that the registered provider had policies and guidance available for staff to follow in relation to the MCA. Staff demonstrated a basic understanding of this and had all completed training. The registered provider had made appropriate applications for the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Care records reviewed included mental capacity assessments and best interest meetings.

Fern Lea was well maintained overall and was awaiting some redecoration. All required health and safety checks and documentation were in place as well as fire safety equipment checks.

The registered provider had quality monitoring systems in place that were followed by the management team to identify areas for development and improvement. Audits were regularly undertaken as part of the governance process.

The registered provider had up to date policies and procedures available for staff to offer them guidance.