Fernlea

Updated 12 February 2024

Fernlea is a care home providing personal care for up to 13 autistic people and people with a learning disability, physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments. At the time of this assessment, 11 people were living in the home. The planning of this assessment commenced on 12 February 2024. Site visits to gather people’s experiences and observe care practices was carried out on 27 and 29 February 2024. We met all 11 people who lived at the home and spoke with 8 people about their care and support. We also contacted 3 people’s relatives to ask their views following our visit. We spoke with 13 staff members, including the registered manager, nominated individual, care and domestic staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We received feedback from 4 visiting professionals. We looked at 13 out of the 34 quality statements; Learning culture; Safe systems, pathways and transitions; Safeguarding; Involving people to manage risks; Safe and effective staffing; Medicines optimisation; How staff, teams and services work together; Independence, choice and control; Workforce wellbeing and enablement; Shared direction and culture; Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders; Freedom to speak up; Governance and assurance.

Updated 12 February 2024

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. The service was not always able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture. People told us they had choice and control over their lives. However, relatives told us they were concerned over initial assessments carried out on people which resulted in people not suited to communal living moving into the home. People told us they felt safe living in the home. However, relatives told us incidents involving distressed behaviour were not always safely managed and staff were not adequately trained to keep people safe. Visiting professionals told us the provider worked in partnership with them and acted on their recommendations.