Ferendune Court

Updated 14 October 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by two inspectors and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Ferendune Court is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the provider, registered manager, team leaders, care workers and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service. We received further feedback from relatives and staff.

Updated 14 October 2021

About the service

Ferendune Court is a residential care home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 48 people. Thirty-two people were living at the service at the time of the inspection.

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

There were systems in place to ensure people safely received their medicines. However further improvement was needed due to recording errors and while audits had been completed, they did not always demonstrate action was taken where shortfalls had been identified.

We received mixed views from the staff team about working at the service. Some told us they were

supported and received training, whilst others said there were not enough staff which impacted the quality of care provided.

People experienced person centred care from staff who were compassionate and knew people's needs. Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect.

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.

People were protected by the provider's recruitment procedures. The provider made appropriate preemployment checks to ensure that only suitable staff were employed. Staff understood their responsibilities in terms of safeguarding and knew how to report concerns if they suspected abuse.

Care plans detailed people's support needs and how care workers should support people to meet those needs. Information varied, with some records being very informative whilst others were written more broadly and lacked details on people's individual preferences.

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.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 18 July 2019). There was a breach in relation to person-centred care. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found some improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of Regulation 9 HSCA RA Regulations 2014 (Person centred care). However, the provider was now found to be in breach of Regulation 17 HSCA RA Regulations 2014 (Good Governance).

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 23 and 29 May 2019. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve person-centred care.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions, Safe, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service remains requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Well-Led section of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ferendune Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information, we may inspect sooner.