Archived: Fairways Residential Care Home

Fairways is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 70 people. The home provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 25 people using the service. A large part of the building was unoccupied awaiting refurbishment.

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

Improvements had been made at Fairways since our last inspection. The team was consistently led from a registered manager and environmental risk assessments had been completed. People felt safe and were supported by staff trained to recognise abuse or poor practice and understood their role in reporting concerns. People had their risks assessed, monitored and reviewed. Staff knew people well and understood the actions needed to minimise risks whilst respecting people’s rights and freedoms. People had their medicines administered safely. Staff followed best practice infection, prevention and control guidance. Staffing levels met people’s needs. Recruitment practices ensured suitable staff were employed.

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.

The management team were open and transparent and encouraged staff to share ideas and participate in the development of the service. Quality assurance systems were robust and effective at driving improvements. Staff were clear about their roles and described communication and teamwork as good.

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 requires improvement (4 June 2021).

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Fairways Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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

Fairways is a residential care home and at our inspection was providing personal care to 18 older people, some living with a dementia. The service is registered to accommodate up to 70 people. Accommodation is provided over three floors which are accessed by a lift. Communal lounge and dining facilities are provided on the ground floor.

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

Health and safety building works were being undertaken, including fitting window restrictors to prevent people from falling from a window. Risk assessments had not been completed to mitigate the risk. Fire safety work was ongoing. Staff had completed fire safety training, but the night team had not been involved in an evacuation drill for over a year. During our inspection the manager agreed to complete risk assessments for each unrestricted window and organised evacuation practice for the night team. Risks to people, such as falls, skin damage and malnutrition, had been assessed, were regularly reviewed and understood by staff. Staff understood the actions needed to reduce the risk of avoidable harm. People were cared for by staff who had been trained to recognise signs of abuse and understood the actions needed if abuse was suspected.

Staff were recruited safely following checks to ensure they were suitable to work with older people. Staffing numbers and skill mix met people’s care needs. Medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely by trained staff who had their competencies regularly checked. We were assured that infection, prevention and control procedures were in line with the latest government guidance.

A new manager had taken up post and begun their registered manager application process. Staff and families told us that not having a consistent management team had, at times, led to poor communication. The new manager and deputy provided visible leadership creating an open and friendly culture where staff felt empowered to share their views.

Quality assurance audits had been completed by the provider and local authority which had been used to create an action plan and had led to improvements and better care outcomes for people. Fairways met regularly with the local authority to monitor quality standards.

Staff had an induction and on-going training and support that enabled them to carry out their roles effectively. This included training specific to people such as diabetes, stroke awareness and dementia. People had their dietary needs known by both the care and catering staff. Meals provided choice, were well balanced and nutritious and catered for special diets, allergies and known likes and dislikes. People were supported with access to health care such as GP’s, hospital teams, audiologists, dentists and chiropodists.

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.

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 requires improvement (published 19 November 2020). The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to management of environmental risks to people, access to healthcare and leadership. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well led only.

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.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service has remained requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led sections of the full report.

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

Fairways is a residential care home providing personal care to 41 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 70 people. Accommodation is provided over three floors which are accessed by a lift. Communal lounge and dining facilities are provided on the ground floor.

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

The service was not meeting their regulatory requirements as they had not had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission since 17 October 2019. The current manager was in the process of submitting an application. People, their families and the staff team consistently spoke positively about the skills of the manager describing the culture as open, helpful and supportive. Staff felt involved in improvements, supported changes that had been made and the future plans for the service. Auditing processes were effectively identifying areas for improvement. Action plans and feedback were shared with staff enabling learning and better outcomes for people.

People and their families told us they felt care was safe. Safeguarding reporting was transparent and the service were working proactively with the local authority safeguarding team. New quality systems in assessing, monitoring and reviewing risks to people had reduced risks of avoidable harm but were still being embedded into practice. Staff recruitment included a criminal record check, but other best practice employment checks were not consistently carried out. Medicines were administered safely. Infection, prevention and control procedures were protecting people from avoidable harm.

People were supported by staff who had completed an induction and on-going training and support that enabled them to carry out their roles effectively. People had their eating and drinking needs understood and met. People had access to healthcare when needed and good working practices with health professionals ensured effective outcomes for people. 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.

People and their families consistently spoke positively about the standard of care provided. Staff understood people’s communication skills which enabled them to include people in decisions about their day to day lives. People had their dignity, privacy and independence respected.

People received person centred care which reflected their assessed care needs and respected their lifestyle choices. Information was provided in accessible formats including large print or a person’s first language. People and families were aware of the complaints process and felt any concerns would be listened to and actioned. People’s end of life wishes were known including any cultural or spiritual preferences.

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

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Fairways Residential care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 8 September 2018.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s safety, including medicines, and environmental risks. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

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.