Fairmead House

Updated 29 May 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Fairmead House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who lived in the home, including the person who received support with their personal care. We also spoke to two members of the service management team and the provider’s regional service lead. We observed interactions between people who lived in the home, the staff and members of the management team. We looked around communal areas in the home and, with their agreement, looked around the flat where the person who received support with their personal care lived. We reviewed a range of records including the care records for the person receiving personal care and staff training and recruitment records. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We contacted a relative of the person receiving personal care and a relative of a person who had received personal care to gather their views. We also spoke to two people who lived at the home, but who did not require personal care. We contacted three staff to gather their views of the service. We contacted a health care professional who had worked with the staff to support an individual. We also looked at additional evidence we had asked the registered manager to send us.

Updated 29 May 2021

About the service

Fairmead House is a residential care home, providing accommodation and personal care to one person at the time we inspected. The service can support up to six people. Although four other people were living at the home when we inspected, they did not require support with their personal care. Each person had their own self-contained flat and access to shared communal areas.

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

People were protected from abuse. Risks to people’s safety had been identified and managed. Risk assessments were used positively to promote people’s independence and choices. There were enough staff to support people. The staff gave people the support they needed to take their medicines safely. The staff followed robust infection prevention and control procedures to protect themselves and people they cared for from the risk of infection. The provider had systems in place to ensure lessons were learnt from any incidents to further improve the safety of the service.

People’s needs were assessed, and the staff provided support to meet people’s needs. The staff were trained and skilled to provide high-quality care for people. People were included in planning and preparing their own meals and encouraged to have a healthy diet. People were supported to access healthcare services as they needed. The service had been designed to meet people’s needs and to promote their independence.

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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. People lived in their own flats and were supported to make their own choices about their lives, how they spent their time and to develop and maintain relationships that were important to them. They received person-centred care and were supported to achieve positive outcomes. The focus of the service was to promote people’s rights and choices. The staff team were committed to ensuring people enjoyed a good quality of life.

The staff treated people in a respectful and caring way. They supported people to gain skills and independence and to be proud of their achievements. The staff knew how people communicated and gave them information to make choices in a way they could understand. The staff respected the decisions people made about their lives and support.

People and those who knew them well were included in planning their support. The staff supported people to follow activities they enjoyed. The provider followed government guidance about visiting in care homes throughout the pandemic. When visiting was not possible, people were supported to use technology to keep in touch with their families. People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. The provider had a procedure for responding to complaints about the service.

People received high-quality, person-centred care that met their needs. The management team and provider had promoted an open and inclusive culture in the service. They understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour and were open with people when incidents occurred in the home. The management team and staff were committed to the continuous improvement of the service. They assessed the quality and safety of the service to identify how it could be further improved to promote positive outcomes for people. The staff worked in partnership with other services to ensure people consistently received care that met their needs.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 3 December 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The service was registered with us on 3 December 2018 and this was the first inspection for the 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.

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.