Inspection on 05/10/06 for Firlawn House Nursing Home

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

What the care home does well

The home provides a good standard of accommodation throughout and is also cleaned to a good standard. The activities programme has been well developed and fully meets the social care needs of the service users. Service users are provided with choice and their privacy respected by the staff. The service users were complimentary of the food provided and the menus are varied offering a balanced diet. The staff are supported with all training needs and approximately 90% of the staff had obtained NVQ Level 2 or 3. A training co-ordinator works four days a week. The home is able to manage and care for service users with quite complex nursing needs. The home is well staffed. Recruitment procedures were robust. The medication procedure was safe.

What has improved since the last inspection?

The manager has worked hard to recruit more staff and reduce the amount of agency staff used at the home. The manager is working hard to implement supervision for all staff and had successfully implemented clinical supervision for the qualified nurses. The staff spoke positively about the new manager, with three staff members stating how well supported they felt by the manager.

What the care home could do better:

The care plans are not well maintained but have improved a little, however the manager will need to work hard to ensure that the staff can use the format for the care plans or change the format. Monthly reviews will have to take place ensuring that all current care needs are identified and clear direction is recorded in the care records in order for the staff to meet the care needs of the service user.