Fenchurch House

Updated 18 August 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an inspector 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 care service.

Service and service type

Fenchurch House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Fenchurch House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, a senior care worker, the chef and a housekeeper. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 18 August 2022

Fenchurch House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 60 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 54 people using the service. The service is in a newly built home spread over three floors.

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

People received high quality care at Fenchurch House. Staff had the training needed to provide safe care and they took the time to ensure it was individualised to meet each person’s needs. Staff had received training in supporting people with dementia and this was reflected in the care provided and how calm and settled the home was. The environment was warm and welcoming and had been designed to maximise people’s independence.

People were complimentary about the care they received and felt there were no improvements needed. They told us their needs were met and staff were kind, caring and responsive. Staff prioritised promoting people’s independence and family life. People praised the food and the ability to visit the coffee bar with relatives.

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.

Systems to keep people safe were in place. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and checks had been completed to ensure they were safe to work with vulnerable people. Medicines were safely managed and people received their medicines at the right time. The home was clean and staff worked to reduce the risk of infection.

Risks to people were assessed and care was planned to keep people safe. Concerns were raised with the health and social care professionals as early as possible to facilitate people getting the correct support in place for their well-being. Care plans were accurate and reflected people’s needs.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided and action was taken to rectify any issues.

Relationships were in place with the NHS and universities to work with them to further understand the needs of people living with dementia. The home benefited by accessing training and support at the leading edge of dementia care, which enabled them to support people’s health and well-being.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 19 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.