Fairlawn

Updated 16 January 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 carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Fairlawn is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing 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.

Fairlawn did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The new manager had made an application to the CQC to become the registered manager for Fairlawn.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers, activity staff and housekeeping staff. We made general observations throughout the day within the home. Following the site visit we spoke with the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and 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 policies.

Updated 16 January 2021

About the service

Fairlawn is a residential care home providing personal and support to older people, some of who are living with dementia. The service can support up to 60 people. There were 55 people living at the home at the time of inspection.

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

Improvements had been made to planned staffing levels. The improvements had been sustained following our last inspection. There was a focus on recruitment and retention of staff at Fairlawn. People, their relatives and staff told us this had improved. There was a new manager who complimented the team already in place. There was confidence in the manager and the deputy manager.

Infection control procedures were in place to contribute to keeping people safe, these had been enhanced due to the Coronavirus pandemic. People, their relatives and staff were updated, and the provider ensured that they had additional oversight and offered increased support to the home.

People felt safe and their relatives were reassured. Staff had received training and knew how to recognise concerns and who to report them to, they felt confident the manager would act on any information of concern. There were systems in place to ensure lessons were learned and these were used to improve practice within the home.

Quality assurance systems were robust and were used to drive improvements. Staff felt proud to work at Fairlawn, felt appreciated and had confidence in and respect for their colleagues. People and staff felt involved in the home and were kept updated. The manager and deputy manager understood their responsibilities in their respective roles and worked with a variety of health and social care professionals to meet the needs of people living at Fairlawn.

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

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 10 September 2019) and there was a breach of regulation. 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 improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 29 July 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 Staffing.

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 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 has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.