CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Fern House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that people were safe, staff knew how to recognise and report abuse, risks were assessed, and there were enough staff on duty. Medicines records were completed accurately and audited regularly.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed before they moved in. Staff had relevant training, supported healthy eating and worked with health professionals.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with dignity and respect, knew their interests and backgrounds, and supported them to make decisions about their care and daily lives.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was tailored to people's preferences and aspirations. People were supported with activities, hobbies, work opportunities and choices about how they spent their time.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The provider and registered manager were visible and used audits, feedback and meetings to monitor and improve the service.
What inspectors found, March 2019
Fern House was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some improvements still being worked on.
This was an unannounced, planned inspection on 21 February 2019. One inspector spoke with three people and two staff, observed care, and checked records, staff files and management information.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable recruitment checks, safe medicines management, person-centred care and good support for people's choices, health and independence.
The home was clean and well maintained. Staff understood people's needs and risks, and worked with health professionals. Some work was still under way, including increasing staffing levels, renovating a bathroom and improving medicine record charts.
Safe staffing and recruitment
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and appropriate checks before staff started work. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and harm.
“People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been subject to appropriate pre-employment checks.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were involved in decisions about their care and daily lives. Staff supported people to develop independence and follow their interests.
“People were empowered to make decisions about their care, how they spent their time and what happened in the home.” from the report
Personalised care
Staff knew people's preferences, interests and backgrounds. Care plans and support were adapted to individual needs.
“Staff were knowledgeable about people's preferences and could explain how they supported people in line with this information.” from the report
Good oversight
The provider and manager were visible in the home. Audits and feedback were used to monitor care and identify improvements.
“There was an effective system of audits that were working successfully to monitor and improve the quality of care people received.” from the report
Staffing levels under review
minorThere were enough staff to keep people safe during the inspection, but the provider was working with commissioners to increase staffing levels.
“The provider was in the process of working with the people responsible for commissioning people's care to increase the staffing levels in the home.” from the report
Bathroom work not finished
minorThe ground-floor bathrooms were being renovated to provide an accessible bath for one person. Families should check whether this work has been completed.
“The provider was in the process of renovating the bathrooms on the ground floor of the home to provide an accessible bath for one person who had recently moved into the service.” from the report
Medicine charts being improved
minorMedicine administration records were accurate, but the manager was developing new charts after identifying aspects that could be improved.
“For example, the registered manager was in the process of developing new MAR charts as they had identified aspects of the current charts that were being used that could be improved.” from the report
- 01Have the planned increases in staffing levels been agreed and put in place?
- 02Has the accessible bath been installed and are the renovated bathrooms now complete?
- 03Have the new medicine administration charts been introduced, and how are they checked?
- 04How are people involved in decisions about activities, meals, holidays and their care?
- 05How does the home respond when people's behaviour becomes unsettled or incidents occur?
This was an unannounced, planned inspection covering all five quality areas, with observations, conversations and checks of selected care records, staff files and management information. This explanation was written from the published report of 8 March 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Fern House
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 20 August 2014.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Birmingham
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £950 to £1,230 a week. 79 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
“God doesn't make people like her anymore!”
“I have never met a person who is so kind and thinks about others before himself to such an extent as Chris Malagala.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.