Ferndale Residential Care Home

Ferndale Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 16 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 17 people and specialises in dementia care. The home is a detached property, near to local shops, the railway station and a church. There is a communal lounge, conservatory and garden. A passenger lift is available for people to access the first floor.

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

People appeared happy at the home and were at ease in the company of staff. Strong relationships were formed between staff and people due to the continuity of staff and the caring approach of staff members. We observed staff treating people with dignity and respect. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as they were able and to participate in the life of the home.

There was a calm and happy atmosphere when we visited. Care staff were well informed about risks to people's health or wellbeing and knew how to deliver their care safely. People had personalised care plans which enabled staff to understand their needs and preferences. Staffing levels were enough to meet people's needs. People were offered a varied diet and snacks and drinks were readily available.

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.

Staff felt supported and had received training to deliver safe and effective care to people. One staff member told us, “I love working here. The staff, the residents, everyone is so nice. The manager makes the staff and residents feel at home.” Another said, “We give good care. I wouldn’t go and work anywhere else."

The home was clean, and staff had been trained in infection prevention and control. There were clear measures in place to manage the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed some staff wearing their masks below the nose and discussed the importance of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly with the registered manager.

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 good (published 8 September 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this targeted inspection to check on specific concerns we received anonymously about risk management, people’s choices being respected, night staffing levels and the ability of staff to meet people’s needs. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good.

CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ferndale Residential Care Home 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.

Ferndale Residential Care Home is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 17 people and there were 15 people living at the home at the time of the inspection. The people living at the home had a range of needs including those who were living with dementia.

Ferndale Residential Care Home is a detached property in Southborne. The home is near local shops, railway station and a church. It is an older residential property which has been extended and adapted to be suitable as a residential care home. There was a passenger lift so people could access the first floor. All bedrooms were single and four had an en-suite toilet. There is a communal lounge and dining room. A conservatory was used by people as a dining area or for activities. People also had access to a garden and at the time of the inspection people were using this to eat outside in the warm weather.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. Since the last last inspection we received information of concerns which were investigated by the local authority safeguarding team and the provider. We looked at how the provider looked into two safeguarding concerns raised in the last 12 months. We also checked specific areas where concerns were raised with us recently which were being investigated by the provider and the local authority safeguarding team. These are referred to in the relevant sections of the report. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People and their relatives said they were satisfied with the standard of care provided. For example, one person told us, “I could not ask for a better place – they are all angels.”

Staff were training in safeguarding people and knew what to do if they were concernd about a person’s welfare or well-being.

Assessments of people’s needs and care plans were recorded on a recently introduced computer system which staff accessed via specialist smartphones. The system gave staff quick acces to care plans and prompted them to deliver the agreed care to people. The premises and equipment were safely maintained. Sufficient numbers of care staff were deployed to meet people’s needs. Checks were made to ensure staff were suitable to work in a care setting and appropriate action was taken where staff performance was a concern. Medicines were safely managed. The home was clean and hygienic with no offensive odours. Incidents or accidents were reviewed and action taken to reduce the likelihood of any reoccurrence.

The staff had a good links with health care professsionals and specialist services regarding the correct procedures to support people. Staff were well trained and supervised. The staff felt supported and valued.

People’s nutritional needs were assessed and people were supported to eat and drink. Health care needs were monitored and referals made to other services to ensure there was a coordinated approach to people’s care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with kindness, dignity and in a way which promoted their rights to a good standard of care. People’s privacy was respected.

People received personalised care which was responsive to their needs. The provider identified and met people’s communication needs. The service provided a good range of activities and was particularly good in supporting people to access the community. This incuded the provision of an annual holiday, which people enjoyed.

The provider had an effective complaints policy. Peolpe told us there concerns were listened to and acted on. The provider had links with hospice services and the local NHS services regarding the provision of end of life care. A health care professional said the staff were skilled in providing end of life care to people.

The provider sought the views of people, their relatives and professionals regarding the quality of the service provided. Staff demonstrated there was a culture of person centred care. checks and audits were also carried out on a regular basis to ensure care was safely provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.