The Firs

Updated 4 March 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements. 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

One inspector completed this inspection.

Service and service type

The Firs is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Firs is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager who was about to register with the Care Quality Commission. This meant the provider was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with six staff including the manager, quality lead for the provider, domestic staff, cook and care staff. We spoke with four people living at the service. We reviewed three care plans and a variety of audits relating to infection control and cleaning. We also reviewed complaints.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

After the inspection –

We spoke with three relatives and sought feedback from the commissioning teams and healthcare teams. We asked for information to be sent to us including the staff training matrix.

Updated 4 March 2022

About the service

The Firs is a residential care home without nursing providing personal care and support to up 22 people. The service provides support to people who are frail and some who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.

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

People told us they felt safe and well cared for. One person said “They (staff) are the best. They take good care of us.” Most people were unable to give their views, but we observed people looking relaxed and comfortable. There were good interactions between people and staff. Staff showed kindness and patience towards people, particularly when they became distressed or needed some support to understand their surroundings. Staff explained what was happening next and encouraged people to share a lunch time experience together.

Relatives said they were confident that staff understood people’s needs and supported people in a kind and caring way. One relative said “I have had personal experience of what a poor care home offers and I can honestly say The Firs offers the right care. Staff are very caring and are doing a great job.”

The staff team knew people well and spoke about people in a positive way. There was a good teamwork approach to delivering care. One relative commented on this, saying “They (staff) never say oh I will get someone to do that, or that’s not my job, whenever I ask them something. They say, yes I will get right onto that and they do!”

Care plans were detailed and personalised to enable staff to provide care and support in a way that ensured people’s preferred routines were honoured. Where known, people’s past history and things which were important to them were included within their plans. This helped staff to understand who each person was and what their experiences had been prior to coming into the service.

The provider had employed a well-being facilitator who supported the care team in developing activities and experiences for people which were meaningful and suited their interests. They had formed good links with the local community which continued through lockdown. For example, the local school children were not able to visit but became pen pals with people. People helped to make the garden look nice and the service won six awards as part of the local flower festival. They had more plans to develop these links further with a wildlife and wildflower section being developed in one part of the garden. They were redesigning one area of the home to be a vintage tearoom where people could meet with family and friends.

Systems and processes ensured quality outcomes were being measured, peoples’ views and those of their families and as well staff views were listened to.

Rating at last inspection-

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (Published 9 December 2020). The last inspection did not look at caring and responsive as there were no breaches or recommendations made. The inspection prior to this had rated both these areas as requiring improvement.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and both caring and responsive have been rated as good.

Why we inspected-

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We undertook this focused inspection to check on two areas which were rated requires improvement. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions caring, responsive and Well-led.

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. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Firs on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up-

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

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