Firth House

Updated 23 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC's response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 3 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 23 March 2021

About the service

Firth House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 41 people and mainly supports people over the age of 65, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection, the service supported 40 people.

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

Risk assessments were not consistently in place for areas of identified needs. Actions were taken during the inspection to address this. People told us they felt safe living at Firth House but gave mixed feedback about staffing levels. Staffing levels were increased, following the last inspection, and continued to be reviewed. People received their medicines as prescribed. Accidents and incidents were responded to appropriately. The service smelt clean and fresh throughout.

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. The relevant people were involved when decisions had been made in people’s best interests. Staff understood the importance of seeking people’s consent.

Staff received training, supervisions and appraisals to support them in providing people with effective care. A variety of food, drinks and snacks were available according to people’s dietary needs and preferences. Staff supported people to maintain their health and well-being and people had access to healthcare professionals.

Staff spoke about people with respect and took measures to protect people’s privacy. People told us staff were kind and caring towards them. The staff treated people as individuals and were patient and attentive in their approach. People had access to independent support to aid them in their decision making when required.

Person-centred care plans were in place to guide staff about the support people required. Detailed information was available about people’s life histories and the activities they enjoyed. The management team arranged a variety of activities and recognised the importance of people having mental and physical stimulation. Complaints had been responded to appropriately and were recognised as a further learning opportunity. Information about people’s end of life wishes was sought.

We have made a recommendation about training and support for senior members of the care team to aid them in their leadership.

The registered manager was passionate about people receiving person-centred care and was actively involved in supporting people. The provider and management team completed regular checks of the safety and quality of the service. Any identified actions were completed. People had the opportunity to share their views about how the service could be improved.

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 26 September 2018). This rating has now improved to good.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.