Archived: Fieldway Care Home

Updated 7 July 2015

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on the 12 May 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team comprised of two inspectors and an 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 older persons care. We also took advice from a Care Quality Commission pharmacist.

During the inspection we spoke with ten people who used the service and six relatives. We also spoke with five members of staff and in addition the acting manager and other staff who were part of the BUPA management team for the area. We looked at care records for seven people living at the home and four recruitment records for staff. We reviewed how medicines were managed. We checked other records which related to how the service was managed; this included staff training records.

We used our Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who cannot talk with us.

After the inspection we spoke with two healthcare professionals, a GP and a dietician. We also spoke with the local authority quality assurance team.

Updated 7 July 2015

This inspection took place on the 12 May 2015 and was unannounced.

At our last inspection of the service on 9 September 2014 we found the service had breached one area of its legal requirements. It related to the management of medicines. Not all staff administering medicines had completed the required training. In addition, the application of external creams was not always being recorded. This could have affected the safety and wellbeing of people living at the home. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the service was now meeting its legal requirements.

Fieldway Nursing and Residential Centre is a care home that provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 68 older people. At the time of our inspection 63 people were resident at the home, some of whom were also living with dementia.

Fieldway is a purpose built care home with accommodation over two floors. All bedrooms are single with ensuite facilities. There is a garden to the rear of the property which is wheelchair accessible and there is also a passenger lift. At the time of our inspection, the home was undergoing a major refurbishment, all the bedrooms had been completed and work was being undertaken in the communal areas.

The service did not 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 service has not had a registered manager in post since May 2014. We have talked with the provider who had recruited a manager who was in post for a number of months but was never registered and subsequently left . Currently the deputy manager, who is well known to the people at the home and their relatives, is in an acting position. We are following this up separately with the provider and will take action where required so they make the necessary arrangements to ensure the service has a registered manager in place as soon as possible.

People told us staff were caring and kind. One person told us, “I’m lucky to have found this place.” Other comments included, “They make a fuss of my husband and I can visit when I want. They really make me feel welcome, lovely atmosphere, homely.” Another person said, “My wife’s only been here a month, but the staff are so kind.” Our observations supported the positive view people had about Fieldway.

People’s needs were well documented in their care plans which were specific to them. These documents were reviewed regularly and updated as necessary. Staff knew how to maintain people’s privacy and dignity when providing personal care.

People were supported and encouraged to maintain social relationships. There were no restrictions on visiting and friends and relatives were made to feel welcome. The home offered a range of activities for people to participate in if they wished, thereby reducing the risk of social isolation.

Staff had been trained in safeguarding adults at risk and knew what signs and symptoms to look out for and how to escalate any concerns they might have. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed regularly so they could be managed, whilst not unduly restricting people’s independence. Accidents and incidents were monitored, and action taken to minimise a reoccurrence.

The provider ensured there were sufficient staff on duty who had been appropriately recruited to meet people’s needs. Staff were trained in their roles and responsibilities to make sure the care they were providing was safe and in line with best practice. Training was refreshed regularly.

People were supported to maintain good health by having access to healthcare professionals as and when they required them. Healthcare professionals were positive about the relationship they had with the service. People received their medicines safely. People were supported to eat and drink sufficiently to maintain good health.

The acting manager and staff we spoke with were aware of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS is a process to make sure people are only deprived of their liberty in a safe and correct way, when it is in their best interests to do so. The acting manager knew when an application was required and how to submit one. People were asked their consent to care and treatment whenever possible.

There was an open and transparent culture within the home. People were positive about the acting manager. People who used the service and staff told us they felt they could raise issues with the acting manager and these would be listened to and acted upon. There were various mechanisms for people to express their views about the service.

There were systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service. Where shortfalls had been identified actions had been taken to rectify the issues.