We carried out an inspection at Ferfoot care home one the 8 and 9 August 2012.Some people were not able to tell us about their experience of living in the home because of limited communication or they were unable to express themselves verbally. However, we observed how people were cared for and talked to people who were able to express their views. One person told us, 'I am very well looked after, the staff are lovely'. We spoke with this persons' relatives during their visit and they told us they were, 'satisfied with the care given'.
During our inspection we found that some people were not being fully supported with their personal care and support to eat and drink. Most members of staff were respectful and treated people with dignity, however, we saw evidence on two occasions where people were not treated with respect. We observed there was a lack of social stimulation for people. We were told by the acting manager that the activities co-ordinator was off sick and the home did not have an alternative.
We talked to many staff during the two days and staff reported that they did not feel there were enough staff to support people appropriately. Staff also reported that they did not feel supported by the management team. They said the home lacked leadership due to the changes in management over the last few months.
We looked at the minutes of a relatives meeting held on 4 July 2012. It gave the responses given by relatives, 'lack of staff in lounges, for example, after tea and early evenings. 'The home is short of staff but staff worked very hard'.
We could see that people were comfortable with the staff in the home. We talked with
two people about being safe. They said they felt safe in the home and would tell the
staff if they had any problems with other residents or if they did not like something. One person said, "The staff are wonderful".