Fairfield

Updated 25 October 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 provider is 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 comprehensive inspection took place on 26 September and 28 September 2018. The first day of our inspection visit was unannounced and was undertaken by one inspector and an expert by experience. The expert by experience was a person who had personal experience of caring for someone who had similar care needs. One inspector returned on 28 September 2018 to complete the inspection.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. We looked at information received from the local authority commissioners and the statutory notifications the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services which are paid for by the local authority. Commissioners had no concerns about the service.

Before the inspection visit, the provider completed a Provider Information Collection (PIC). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The PIC was detailed and we were able to review the information in the PIC during our inspection visit. We found the information provided was an accurate assessment of how the service operated.

During our inspection we spoke with the manager, the deputy manager and the provider’s Director of Quality and Compliance about their management of the home. We spoke with three care staff, a lifestyle coach, a cook and a member of domestic staff about their role at Fairfield.

Some people at Fairfield were living with dementia and some people were unable to tell us in detail about their experience of living at the home. However, several people could tell us what it was like living at Fairfield. During the inspection we spoke with eleven people who lived at the home and seven relatives/visitors. We observed care and support being delivered in communal areas and we observed how people were supported to eat and drink at lunch time.

We reviewed three people’s care plans, daily records and medication records to see how their care and treatment was planned and delivered. We looked at staff training records, and records of complaints. We reviewed checks the manager and provider made to assure themselves people received a safe, effective quality service.

Updated 25 October 2018

This inspection visit took place unannounced on 26 September 2018 and we returned announced on 28 September 2018.

Fairfield is a two-storey residential home which provides care to older people including people who are living with dementia. Fairfield is registered to provide care for 36 people. At the time of our inspection visit there were 32 people living at the home. Care and support was provided across both floors and each floor had two communal lounges and dining areas.

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

A requirement of the services’ registration with us is that they have 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was absent from the service at the time of our inspection visit. A new manager had been appointed and had submitted their application to be registered with us (CQC).

At our last inspection we rated the service Good overall, with the leadership of the service as ‘Outstanding’ because we found the provider learnt from previous inspections to drive improvements, shared good practice and the culture promoted open and continuous learning. At this inspection we rated the leadership of the service as Good and the service remains rated Good overall.

There were sufficient staff to ensure people’s wellbeing and safety. The provider ensured staff had training and support to provide effective care that reflected good practice. Staff had a good understanding of their responsibility to manage risks to people and report any concerns they had about people’s safety.

Staff worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff recognised and understood the importance of helping people to make their own choices regarding the care and support they received. Staff gained people’s consent before providing support to them.

Staff were kind and compassionate in the way they interacted with people and ensured people were comfortable in their surroundings. Staff were discreet when supporting people with their personal care and promoted people's privacy and dignity.

The environment of the home enabled people to live comfortably and was supportive of the needs of people living with dementia. The home was clean and hygienic.

People received a nutritious diet, had a choice of food and were encouraged to have enough to drink. People were referred to other external healthcare professionals to ensure their health and wellbeing was maintained. Overall, medicines were managed to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.

There was a new management team in place who were motivated to ensure that, in accordance with the provider’s values, every day was a day well lived for the people who lived at Fairfield. The provider’s quality assurance systems enabled the managers to identify which areas they needed to concentrate on to drive improvement within the home. People had opportunities to put forward their suggestions about the service provided and these were acted upon to ensure the service was responsive and effectively met people’s physical, emotional and social needs.