Archived: Fourfields

Updated 25 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2014 and to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 25 and 26 September 2017. One inspector and two experts by experience carried out the inspection. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of having used a similar service or who has cared for someone who has used this type of care service.

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include information about important events, which the provider is required to send us.

During the inspection, we spoke with 15 people who lived at the service, nine relatives, five members of staff, the care team manager, deputy manager, housekeeping manager, the chef, regional manager and the registered manager. We received feedback from health and social care professionals. We viewed three people’s support plans and three staff files. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us due to complex health needs. We also reviewed a range of other relevant documents relating to how the service operated. These included monitoring data, training records, complaints, and compliments.

Updated 25 October 2017

We carried out the inspection on the 25 and 26 September 2017. The inspection was unannounced. Fourfields is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 52 people, some of who are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 48 people using the service.

At the last inspection on 25 January 2016 we rated, the service requires improvement. At this inspection, we found the service had made the required improvements.

Fourfields is divided in to six units on one level, each unit had access to the garden and their own communal lounges and dining area.

Arrangements were in place to ensure there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff available to meet people’s individual needs. The provider monitored people’s changing needs regularly to ensure the required staffing levels and where we found an area that required improvement the registered manager acted immediately to ensure cover needs were met.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Safe medicine practices were in place. However, there were some areas we identified that required improvement and the registered manager told us that following the inspection they had addressed these issues and processes were implemented to improve the management of medicines.

Safe and effective recruitment practices were in place. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to report concerns both internally and externally.

People received support to maintain good health and had access to health and social care professionals when required. Risks to people’s health and well-being were identified and regularly reviewed. People were provided with a healthy balanced diet that met their individual needs.

People were involved in planning their care and received care that met their individual needs. Care plans included clear information to guide staff and there were varied activities available and events that encouraged family involvement. Staff were kind and caring, and people’s privacy and dignity was respected.

There were systems in place to obtain people’s feedback. The registered manager and the provider completed regular audits. We noted where improvements were identified these were accompanied by action plans to drive improvement at the home.