Care Home: Ferndale

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What the care home does well Effort is made to present information to people in a way that meets their communication needs so that they are involved in making choices and decisions that affect their lifestyles. Care records clearly explain how people like and need to be supported so that they are offered consistent care. Staff demonstrate good understanding of people`s individual needs and have developed positive relationships with them. Staff have received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults, for the ongoing protection of people living in the home.Staff understand how to support people during incidents of challenging behaviour so that people are protected from risk of harm. The home has a registered manager who has qualifications relevant to her role. Staff told us that the manager is approachable and a good leader. The manager stated her commitment to continuing to improve outcomes for people who live at Ferndale. What the care home could do better: Protocols that explain when "as required" medicines should be offered to people have not always been put in place. This could lead to people not receiving their medication as prescribed. The records that that detail individuals` income and expenditure are inaccurate and out of date. This could mean that financial errors are not investigated promptly. Visits by representatives of the registered provider do not take place on a regular basis in order to report on the quality of care and service provided within the home. Random inspection report Care homes for adults (18-65 years) Name: Address: Ferndale 6 - 10 Church Road Brownhills Walsall West Midlands WS8 6AA three star excellent service The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: 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. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed review of the service. Details of how to get other inspection reports for this care home, including the last key inspection report, can be found on the last page of this report. Lead inspector: Julie Preston Date: 1 6 0 6 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Ferndale 6 - 10 Church Road Brownhills Walsall West Midlands WS8 6AA 01543454689 01543372308 admin.cch@btconnect.com Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Angela Lane,Mr Peter David French Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : care home 13 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 learning disability Conditions of registration: 13 The maximum number of service users to be accommodated is 13. The registered person may provide personal care (excluding nursing) and accommodation for service users of both sexes whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Lerarning disability (LD) 13 Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Ferndale is a residential home that offers specialised care for adults with autism and associated conditions. The building is designed to be domestic in nature with two lounges, two kitchens, a dining room, laundry and thirteen single bedrooms all of Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 9 Brief description of the care home which have en-suite facilities. There is a small garden to the rear of the premises. The service also provides day care facilities to residents of Chase Community Homes. The home is located very near to the centre of Brownhills, close to shops, public transport, markets, theatres and public houses. There is local provision for riding for the disabled and Cannock Chase is close by for activities such as walks. Ferndale is one of a number of homes that form Chase Community Homes, a private company that is owned by two teachers, both of whom have over twelve years experience of teaching in residential schools for complex and delayed developmental disorders including autism. Chase Community Homes are a group of small residential homes aiming at providing an environment where adults with autism and allied conditions can feel safe and secure. They believe people with such conditions have the right to live like others in the community, but that they also have the right to continued specialist help and support within a sheltered setting, to enable their lives to be more meaningful and fulfilling. The home can provide information about current fees and charges. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 9 What we found: This random visit was conducted over one day. The staff and people who live in the home did not know that we were visiting. The manager and deputy manager assisted us throughout the day and we were able to talk to staff about their role in caring for and supporting people who live at Ferndale. We spent time looking at care plans and risk assessments for three people. These records describe how people like and need to be cared for and identify controls in place to protect them from taking unreasonable risks which may cause them harm. Care records sampled clearly described how staff should offer support to people to ensure their assessed needs would be consistently met. There was sufficient evidence to demonstrate that person centred care was being provided, such as detailed communication plans which had been drawn up by Speech and Language Therapists and information about peoples independent living strengths to make sure that they maintain and develop their skills in this area. We observed staff communicating with people in a manner that was reflective of the individual support plans sampled. Staff told us that people are involved in household tasks so that they contribute to the day to day running of the home and have opportunities to practice their skills. Records showed that household tasks had been risk assessed so that people were not placed at risk of harm when completing them. Effort had been made to ensure that people were presented with information in a format that meets their individual communication needs. There were objects of reference, photographs and symbols displayed around the home to support people to make choices and decisions within their daily lives. We saw people using photographs to choose meals and activities during our visit. Staff told us that they had undertaken training in Makaton (a system of signing) to help them communicate with people effectively. Care records had been reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they remained relevant to peoples current needs. The staff that we spoke to demonstrated good understanding of peoples assessed needs, which indicates that care plans and risk assessments had been read and understood. We looked at the way medicines were being managed to make sure that safe systems were in place. Medicines were securely stored in locked cabinets around the home. From observation of staff records and discussion with staff it was evident that training in the safe handling of medicines had been provided. No medicines errors have been reported to us since the homes last inspection. This indicates that medicines are being well managed for the benefit of people who live at Ferndale. In one case there was no written and agreed protocol for a person taking as required medication. This could lead to inconsistent administration and place the person at unreasonable risk of harm. Staff at the home assist people to manage their personal finances where this is assessed as necessary. We looked at financial records for two people to ensure that a robust system is in place for peoples ongoing protection. In both cases the cash held by the home on peoples behalf did not match with the records in place. The manager showed us Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 9 a number of receipts that had not been entered into the records, which explained the discrepancy. The manager further commented that records would be updated to give an accurate reflection of monies held in the home for each person. Some people living at the home demonstrate behaviour that requires a specific approach by staff to ensure individuals safety and well being. We saw guidelines in place to instruct staff how to do so safely. The staff members we spoke to were able to describe how they support people during incidents of challenging behaviour. This was consistent with the records sampled. Training records showed that staff have received training in safeguarding vulnerable people and physical intervention, which should contribute to the ongoing protection of people living in the home. The home has a registered manager who has been in post for eighteen months. The manager has qualifications that are relevant to her role and demonstrated commitment to continuing to improve outcomes for people living at Ferndale. A representative of the registered provider (Chase Community Homes) visits the home to report on the standard of care and service provided as part of the quality assurance programme. The most recent report was three months old, which does not indicate that regular visits take place. There were other systems of quality assurance in place. Questionnaires had been sent to peoples relatives to ask for their views on the service provided. We saw evidence that any concerns identified had been promptly addressed by the management team. Care plans, risk assessments and medication records had been reviewed to make sure they remained relevant to peoples needs. A number of checks are made to make sure that peoples health and well being is protected. We looked at some records that show this has happened. The fire alarm and emergency lighting system had been serviced on a regular basis to make sure that it remained in working order. Fire drills take place every six months so that people can practice evacuation in the event of an emergency. The fire alarm system had not been tested since April 2010. This could mean that possible faults are not investigated promptly and place people at unreasonable risk of harm. What the care home does well: Effort is made to present information to people in a way that meets their communication needs so that they are involved in making choices and decisions that affect their lifestyles. Care records clearly explain how people like and need to be supported so that they are offered consistent care. Staff demonstrate good understanding of peoples individual needs and have developed positive relationships with them. Staff have received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults, for the ongoing protection of people living in the home. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 5 of 9 Staff understand how to support people during incidents of challenging behaviour so that people are protected from risk of harm. The home has a registered manager who has qualifications relevant to her role. Staff told us that the manager is approachable and a good leader. The manager stated her commitment to continuing to improve outcomes for people who live at Ferndale. What they could do better: If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details set out on page 2. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 6 of 9 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 7 of 9 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection: Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service. No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations 1 20 Protocols for as required medicines should be clearly written so that people receive their medication as prescribed for their ongoing health and well being. Financial records should be audited so that they accurately reflect individuals income and expenditure. This will ensure that any irregularities are investigated without undue delay. Representatives of the registered provider should visit the home on a regulr basis in order to provide a report on the qulaity of care and service provided. This will contribute to the ongoing improvement of outocmes for people living there. 2 23 3 39 Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 8 of 9 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report Care Quality Commission General Public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Copies of the National Minimum Standards –Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or got from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. 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