The Firs Residential Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion, this included promoting and maintaining people's dignity. We observed staff knocking on doors before entering and addressing people by their preferred name. Staff promoted people's independence and knew the people they were supporting well. We observed friendly and professional relationships had been built. Relative feedback included the improvements made since the last CQC inspection. They said they felt staff were friendlier and communication had improved. People’s religious preferences were encouraged and promoted by staff. Most staff told us they felt supported with the new management team in place. Staff understood the importance of informing medical professionals when needed, including after an incident or in an emergency. The management team had worked with staff to improve their understanding of the importance of quick responses. Staff promoted and maintained people’s independence wherever possible. This included the use of specialist and adaptive equipment. Staff encouraged people to do as much as they could for themselves. This helped people maintain their life skills where possible. Staff helped people to access the local community.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People and relatives had mostly positive experiences of staffs’ care, support and interactions. A person told us, “Staff are very nice and good fun.” Another person said, “Staff are very nice with me.” A relative when they visited now described the atmosphere as, “Friendlier.” Another relative told us, “I see the staff feed [people] and I hear them; they care and are very encouraging in feeding people. Absolutely they treat [people] with respect, they do talk to them properly all the time, they treat them with dignity.” However, 1 person told us of a negative experience they had with a staff member. The management team had taken action to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. A staff member said, “They are much more like family members, I know their triggers, needs, likes and dislikes...  They trust me and [the service is] like home.”

Staff were observed treating people with compassion and kindness. Staff understood the importance of promoting and maintaining people's dignity. We saw staff knocking on doors before entering and addressing people by their preferred name. During the first site visit we observed lots of interactions where staff made good eye contact, gave people reassurance and time. Staff appeared very caring. We saw a person sat in a shared areas of the service with their doll (baby). Staff were seen asking about the baby, the babies name and how baby was. Another staff member was seen kneeling down with a person, trying to encourage them to drink. We observed that staff gave lots of encouragement and again time was given. Staff were also seen promoting people’s dignity. A staff member asked a person, “Wait a minute, can I wipe your mouth?”

Staff understood the importance of promoting and maintaining people’s individual wishes where possible. A person told us how staff respected their wish to be bathed once a week. They said, “Sometimes I have a bath with 2 carers [support], I like to have a soak, they use the hoist I think, once a week, that is enough for me.” They went on to say how staff also respected their individual wishes to remain independent. They confirmed that, “I brush my hair.”

The registered manager explained how they promoted people’s religious needs. They said they had recently discussed connecting with a local religious service. They confirmed that a religious service had already taken place for people who wished to attend.

Staff ensured privacy whilst assisting people. They did not speak about people in front of others, and ensured specific areas were used, such as staff dedicated rooms to hold private conversations. During our first site visit it was observed that the building now had good pictorial and word signage throughout. This would help orientate people around the building.

People’s care records included information around their assessed needs. Records now prompted staff to make sure a holistic approach to care was in place for people. For example, care records guided staff on how to support people whilst considering the needs of others, and risk to them, as well as considering the communication, privacy and dignity needs of the person. Care records also identified what was important to people, and their relatives or representatives, if appropriate. Detailed ‘about me’ information was recorded. This documented what was important to people including their likes and dislikes, individualised preferences and personal history. Peoples chosen religion, if they had one, was clearly recorded to guide staff. Whilst a religious service was held, minsters of other faiths, could be organised.

Visitors were welcomed to the service by staff. Relatives confirmed and were seen visiting their family members. One relative said, “I come 4 times a week for 2 hours, at different times.” Another relative told us, “I now feel comfortable going there [visiting].”

Staff understood the importance of maintaining people’s right to choose. They encouraged people to do what they could for themselves where possible. This helped people maintain life skills. A staff member explained how they supported people to make their own informed choice. They told us, “Always talk to the person and inform them.”

We observed people being treated as an individual with their choices requested and respected by staff. For example, we saw a staff member position themselves close so a person could see what they were doing. The staff member showed the person to a computer tablet and with staff guidance the person then chose the music they wanted. We also saw a person once they had finished their meal, clear their plate and return it to the kitchen. This was what the person chose to do, and this independence was promoted and maintained by staff.

A consistent staff team helped make sure that staff knew the people they were supporting well. Processes in the form of the digital records system now in place, meant that staff had access to information on people. This included on how to support them in line with their individual wishes.

People confirmed that staff responded quickly when they asked for assistance or were unwell. This included seeking emergency assistance when needed. A person confirmed, “Staff are very nice with me, they take me to the toilet, I don’t have to wait too long for them.” Another said, “[I’ve] got a call bell, wait a few minutes [for staff].”

Staff talked through the process of informing medical professionals when needed when people were unwell. This included seeking emergency services help after an incident or accident had occurred. The management team had worked with staff to improve their understanding of the importance of quick responses to concerns.

During the day 1 site visit a person reported to a member of the CQC team that a member of staff had spoken a specific way to them. They could not recall who, or specifically when. However, this concern when raised, was reviewed by a representative of the management team promptly and action taken.

Most staff felt supported with the new management team in place. The registered manager told us about maintaining staff well-being. They said, “[We are] planning a new staff room using an external building on the ground.” They said they had requested this to promote and maintain staff’s well-being and enable them to take proper breaks away from the service. Whilst still be in the location. They also said they had installed for staff a cold-water dispenser to promote staff’s hydration. Another staff member explained how they were treated. They confirmed they were an overseas staff member and were being treated well. They said, “All is ok, no problems. I feel always ok and happy. People are friendly. The house and surrounding area is beautiful. The environment is suitable.”