CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Friern Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found people were protected from avoidable harm. Staff understood safeguarding, risks were assessed, medicines were administered safely and there were enough staff.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried forward from the previous inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried forward from the previous inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. Its rating was carried forward from the previous inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found a positive culture, approachable managers, regular checks and good communication with people, relatives and other professionals.
What inspectors found, June 2023
Friern Residential Care Home rated Good; inspectors found people safe and the home well led.
Inspectors visited without notice on 30 May 2023. They spoke with seven people, two relatives, the registered manager and two care workers. They reviewed care records, staff records and management documents.
The inspectors found that people were protected from avoidable harm. Staff understood safeguarding, risks were assessed, medicines were given safely, recruitment checks were completed and there were enough staff. The home was clean and infection control arrangements were in place.
The home was also judged to be well led. People and staff spoke positively about the managers, care was personalised, and the provider used audits, meetings and feedback to monitor the service.
The overall rating was Good. This inspection only assessed Safe and Well-led. The ratings for the other three areas were carried forward from the previous inspection in 2018.
People felt safe
People and relatives said they felt safe. Staff had safeguarding training and knew how to report possible abuse or poor practice.
“People were safe and protected from avoidable harm. Legal requirements were met.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans recorded people's needs, likes and dislikes. People were involved in planning and reviewing their care.
“People were involved in planning their care and care was personalised to meet their needs detailing their likes and dislikes.” from the report
Stable staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Most staff had worked at the home for many years, supporting consistency.
“There was very little staff turnover. Most staff had worked at the service for many years which provided consistency and continuity for people living in the service.” from the report
Safe medicines
Records for medicines were accurate and people received their medicines safely and on time. Medicines audits were carried out regularly.
“People received their medicines safely and at the right time.” from the report
Positive management
People and staff described the managers as approachable and supportive. The home used audits, meetings and surveys to monitor quality.
“There was a friendly, open, positive, and supportive culture at the home.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are care plans and risk assessments reviewed when a person's mental health or other needs change?
- 02How often are staff medicines competencies checked, and what happens if an audit finds a problem?
- 03How will you continue to maintain enough permanent staff to support people consistently?
- 04How are people and relatives involved in monthly meetings, surveys and decisions about the home?
- 05Can you explain which ratings were carried forward from the 2018 inspection rather than assessed during the 2023 visit?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings were carried forward from the previous inspection published on 24 May 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 June 2023 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.
What inspectors found, May 2018
Friern Residential Care Home rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with some records needing improvement.
Inspectors visited without notice on 11 April 2018. They spoke with six people, two relatives, staff and a healthcare professional. They observed care and checked care records, staff files, medicine records, complaints and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they were happy with the care. Inspectors found that staff knew people well, supported their choices and treated them with dignity.
The home had improved its activities since the previous inspection in December 2015. People took part in social activities, went into the community and helped with shopping and light household tasks. Inspectors found no serious risks or concerns.
Safe medicines
Medicine records were accurate and staff had received training and competency checks before administering medicines.
“Medicine administration records were well-presented and contained an accurate record of any medicines that people had received.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff understood people's histories, preferences and anxiety triggers. They responded quickly and supported people with dignity.
“At all times staff were polite and caring.” from the report
Improved activities
The home had acted on the previous recommendation about activities. People took part in individual and group activities and were supported to use the local community.
“People now participated in a range of different social activities individually and as a group and were supported to the access the local community.” from the report
Positive culture
People, relatives and staff described approachable management and a positive atmosphere. Staff felt supported and proud of the service.
“The service had a positive ethos and an open culture.” from the report
Capacity records
needs fixingCompleted capacity assessments were not documented in people's files. The manager showed that work with the local authority was in progress.
“We noted the provider did not document completed capacity assessments in people's files.” from the report
Quality check records
needs fixingSome checks and audits had not been recorded adequately. The manager set up a new system to record checks and any actions taken.
“We found that these checks were not always adequately recorded, although we could see that this had not impacted on the quality of the care.” from the report
Medicine record photographs
minorPhotographs were missing from medicine administration charts during the visit. The report says this was addressed shortly afterwards.
“We noted during the inspection that there were no photographs on the MAR charts.” from the report
- 01How are capacity assessments now completed and recorded in each person's care file?
- 02How do you record your quality checks, including any action taken when problems are found?
- 03Have photographs been added to every person's medicine administration chart?
- 04What activities and community outings are currently available for my relative?
- 05How will you recognise and respond if my relative's mental health starts to deteriorate?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, and the report says the overall Good rating continued from the December 2015 inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 May 2018 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 Friern Residential Care Home
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- June 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Friern Residential Care Home →
- May 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Friern Residential Care Home →
- January 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- April 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 August 2011.
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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