This inspection was carried out on 12th November 2009.
It is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Good.
The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection
and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.
Annual service review
Name of Service: Firbank House Nursing Home The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.
Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?
No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Ann Connolly Date of this annual service review: 0 9 1 0 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service
Address of service: 24 Smallshaw Lane Ashton-under-Lyne Tameside OL6 8PN 01613431251 01613431007 firbankhouse@aol.com Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:
Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : dementia old age, not falling within any other category physical disability Conditions of registration: Partnership Caring Limited Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 20 0 42 0 42 0 The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care home with nursing - Code N, to service users of the following gender: Either, whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Old age, not falling within any other category - Code OP, Dementia - Code DE (maximum number of places 20), Physical disability - Code PD. The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 42. Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the Yes service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: The new manager is post has submitted an application to become the registered manager of the home. Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service Firbank House is situated near to Ashton-under-Lyne town centre. The home consists of two buildings, referred to as the main building and the annex. Nursing and personal
Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 care can be provided for up to 42 residents. The home is owned by Partnership Caring Limited, which is a private company, and is under the day-to-day control of a manager who is also a registered nurse. Fees for accommodation and care at the home are three hundred and ninty pounds per week. Extra charges are made for sundry items such as toiletries and newspapers and services such as hairdressing and chiropody. Twenty-one service users are accommodated in each building with rooms being spread over two floors. There are a total of 36 single rooms and three double rooms, of which the majority have en-suite facilities. Seven communal rooms offer a variety of settings in which service users are able to receive visitors, socialise and participate in activities. The home is close to local shops and bus routes. There is ample parking for those who choose to travel to the home by car. Annual Service Review Page 3 of 6 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review:
What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that we have received or asked for since the last inspection or annual review.This included: The annual Quality Assurance Assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us numerical information about the service. Feedback comment cards which were sent out to people using the service and staff. Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints. What the service has told us about things that have happened in the service. These are called notifications and are a legal requirement. The previous key inspection. What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The home sent us their annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. It was clear and gave us all the information we asked for. We looked at the information in the AQAA and our judgment is that the home is still providing a good service to the people living in the home. The manager in post has several years experience of working in the home at senior level. She has completed NVQ level 4 and has applied to the Commission to become the registered manager of the service. During the last inspection visit to the service we found that people living in the home were supported to access healthcare services. The information in the AQAA stated that all care plans had been reviewed and new care plan documentation had been implemented. The information in the AQAA told us that people in the home , and their relatives were fully involved in care planning and that they were consulted on how they wished to receive their care and support. In previous visits that we have made to this home and from information in the AQAA, there is evidence to show that this service takes all concerns and complaints seriously. There are robust policies and procedures to support staff in safeguarding and protecting the well being and interest of people living in the home. In the last inspection visit, people were aware of who to speak to and the process for making a complaint. Information in the AQAA stated that the service had received one complaint in the last 12 months and that this had been resolved and responded to within 28 days. The Commission has not received any recent complaints about this service. Information in the AQAA informed us that training in safeguarding adults was Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 prioritised and that training for staff on the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty was ongoing. This will help staff to develop knowledge and skills on how to manage any safeguarding issues. The service had made two recent safeguarding referrals and used safeguarding procedures for managing these. The AQAA provides information about the way the home carry out recruitment of staff. Information states that they have a robust recruitment procedure and that appropriate checks are made such as criminal record bureau (CRB). The AQAA failed to give statistical information about how many staff had achieved NVQ level 2 or above. In the previous AQAA the number was 80 of staff at NVQ level 2 or above. The manager has told us that there are plans to continue with the staff training programme and to promote awareness of new policies and procedures. Since the last annual service review, the service has improved in their communication with the Commission. The manager is making sure that any event that affects the well being of people in the home is reported on a Regulation 37 notification. The manager has told us in the information she has sent to us that improvements have been made in implementing quality audits and consultations with people who use the services of Firbank House. This shows us that there is a commitment to improving the services for people in the home. At the time of writing this report we had not received any returned surveys from people living in the home, or the staff that work there. However, during previous visits to this service, people had spoken highly of their lifestyle experiences of living at Firbank House. The information in the AQAA shows that the manager is aware of the strengths of the service and has clear plans for improvement over the next 12 months. This service continues to let us know about things that have happened and they have shown us that they manage issues well. They work well with us and have shown us that there is a commitment to run the service in the best interest of the people living there. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? We will continue to monitor information about Firbank House. We can inspect the service at any time if we have concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of people using the service. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 Reader Information
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