Archived: Fen Road

Updated 2 December 2017

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 home under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 18 and 19 October 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home, including the provider information return (PIR). This is a form in which we ask the provider to give some key information about the home, what the home does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed notifications the provider had sent us. A notification is important information about particular events that occur at the home that the provider is required by law to tell us about. We contacted local authority commissioners, GP, health care professionals and Healthwatch to obtain their views. We reviewed the information to assist us with our planning of the inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with four family members of people living at Fen Road. We also spoke with the registered manager, four care staff and the operations’ manager. We looked at the care records for three people. We also looked at records that related to health and safety and quality monitoring. We looked at medication administration records (MARs). We observed how the staff supported people in the communal areas. Observations are a way of helping us understand the experience of people living in the home.

Updated 2 December 2017

Fen Road is registered to provide accommodation for up to 10 people who require personal care. There were seven people with a learning and physical disability living in the home at the time of the inspection. People were accommodated in two bungalows and all bedrooms were single rooms.

This inspection took place on 18 and 19 October 2017 and was unannounced and was the first inspection since Voyage became registered as the provider of this service..

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

Staff had taken action to minimise the risks to people. Risk assessments identified risks and identified how to reduce them where possible. Staff were competent to administer medication. They were following the correct procedures when administering, recording and storing medication so that people received their medication as prescribed. Staff were aware of the procedures to follow if they thought anyone had been harmed.

Staff were only employed after the completion of a thorough recruitment procedure. There were enough staff on shift to ensure that people had their needs met in a timely manner. However, the numbers of staff meant that there were not always opportunities for people to take part in activities outside of the home. Staff received the training they required and they were supported in their roles to have the right skills to meet people’s needs.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. The provider had completed capacity assessments and DoLS applications.

Staff were kind and caring when working with people. They knew people well and were aware of their history, preferences, likes and dislikes. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and promoted.

Staff monitored people’s health and welfare needs and acted on issues identified. People had been referred to healthcare professionals when needed. People were provided with a choice of food and drink that they enjoyed and they were given the right amount of support to ensure their nutritional needs were met.

Activities were mainly limited to ones that took place within the service. When staffing numbers allowed, staff supported people to maintain their interests and their links with the local community.

Care plans gave staff the information they required to meet people’s care and support needs. People received support in the way that they preferred and met their individual needs.

There was a complaints procedure in place and family members felt confident to raise any concerns either with the staff or registered manager.

There was an effective quality assurance process in place which included obtaining the views of relatives and the staff. Where needed action had been taken to make improvements to the service being offered.