CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at St Benedicts Ferndale House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention, personal protective equipment, testing, admissions and the management of possible outbreaks. The provider also said it had measures to reduce the risks from COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, February 2022
St Benedicts Ferndale House was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and visiting arrangements.
Inspectors visited on 3 February 2022. The visit was announced one day beforehand and focused on infection prevention, visiting arrangements and the effect of COVID-19 staffing pressures.
The inspectors were assured that the home was using personal protective equipment safely, arranging testing, managing admissions and preventing infections. They also found that the infection control policy was up to date.
Families could visit by appointment in different areas, including a separate visiting suite. People were also supported to keep in touch by telephone and video calls.
The home was inspected but not rated. This report does not give a new overall rating or a full rating for all five areas of care.
Infection prevention
Inspectors were assured that the home had measures to prevent infections spreading, including safe admissions, hygiene practices and outbreak arrangements.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Testing and vaccination checks
The home had a testing system for people, staff and visitors. It also kept records of staff vaccinations and checked visiting professionals.
“The service had developed a good testing regime for people, staff and visitors.” from the report
Visiting arrangements
Families could visit by appointment in several locations, with cleaning between visits. People also had individual risk assessments and support to go out with family where possible.
“Families could visit by appointment and enhanced cleaning was carried out in between each visit.” from the report
Keeping in touch
Staff supported people to stay in contact with relatives and friends who could not visit in person, including through telephone and video calls.
“Staff actively supported people to keep in touch with those who could not visit the care home by telephone and using video calls.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently managing COVID-19-related staffing pressures, and have these affected people's care?
- 02How do you currently arrange visits, including visits in a person's room or visits from essential care givers?
- 03How do you support people who cannot have regular in-person visits to stay in contact with relatives?
- 04How do you check testing and vaccination requirements for staff and visiting professionals?
- 05How do you safely manage admissions from hospitals, care services or community settings?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it was not a full inspection and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 February 2022 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, March 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some further work needed on accessible information.
This was an unannounced inspection on 22 and 23 January 2019. Inspectors observed care, spoke with people, relatives, staff and a health professional, and checked care, medicines, staff and management records.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, personalised care plans, kind care and good support with health, meals, activities and relationships.
The home had improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection. Inspectors found that earlier concerns about notifications and governance had been addressed. They noted that accessible information arrangements were followed in some areas, and the manager said further guidance would be reviewed.
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Medicines were stored, recorded and disposed of safely.
“Staffing levels met the needs of people and helped to ensure their safety.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans gave staff clear information about people's needs, routines and preferences. People were involved in reviewing their care.
“People's care plans were detailed and contained information about people's needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People told inspectors that staff were kind and caring. Staff adapted how they communicated and respected people's privacy and choices.
“People told us staff were kind and caring.” from the report
Good activities and relationships
People were supported to pursue hobbies, attend activities and maintain important relationships.
“People participated in a wide range of activities which included, visiting the local pub, board games, listening to musicians and events such as celebrating birthdays.” from the report
Improved management
The provider's audits and action plans helped identify and follow up improvements. Earlier concerns about notifications and governance were no longer breaches.
“At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no in longer in breach.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What additional accessible information measures have been put in place since this inspection?
- 02How will you make sure staff keep each person's care plan up to date when their health or preferences change?
- 03How do you check that staffing levels are still suitable when people's needs change?
- 04How are medicines errors reviewed, and what checks make sure staff remain competent?
- 05How can my relative and our family raise concerns, and how quickly will they be investigated?
This was an unannounced planned inspection of the whole care home, including premises and care, and it assessed all five CQC questions; end of life care was not observed because nobody was receiving it at the time. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 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 St Benedicts Ferndale House
3 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 27 October 2015.
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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26 live-in carers within about an hour of Hampshire
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
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“He stayed with her throughout the pandemic, refusing to visit his own family, who lived nearby, to reduce the risk of infection.”
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.