Archived: Fairway Residential Care Home

Fairway Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’ registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 45 people.

The service has been identified for use by the Local Authority as a designated care setting for people discharged from hospital with a positive COVID-19 status. This is the sole use of the service.

At the time of our inspection visit, there were 24 people using the service. This number fluctuated during the course of the inspection with multiple admissions and discharges taking place.

Since our inspection, designated care settings have ceased from being used by local authorities. Fairway Residential Home stopped new admissions on 12 June 2022 and closed on 04 July 2022.

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

Checks and audits had not been consistently completed and were not fully embedded into everyday practice. Quality assurance records had not been maintained sufficiently for the registered manager to demonstrate consistent oversight of the service. A comprehensive action plan had been completed to address areas where improvements were required. This included areas such as the content and detail within people’s care plans and associated risk assessment, oversight of incidents and accidents, how complaints and feedback was recorded and responded to and the maintenance of accurate staff training records. The registered manager was open and honest about the challenges that came with managing a designated care setting, and fully participated in the inspection process in a candid manner.

People were encouraged to be involved in decision making and have control over the care they received, whilst taking into consideration the service was a designated care setting and people were required to complete an initial period of isolation on admission. Staff spoke positively about the changes being made to care documentation and records which supported the increased involvement of people.

Feedback was encouraged by the registered manager, with ‘post stay’ surveys being completed by people and their relatives. There was a complaints procedure in place, which was readily available at the service. However, records regarding the management and response to any complaints received required further detail and organisation.

People told us they felt safe at the service and expressed they had no concerns. Staff knew and understood the safeguarding procedure in place and their responsibility to report any concerns they may have.

Medicines seen were managed safely and there were robust infection prevention and control measures in place. Staffing levels were sufficient, with safe recruitment processes followed when new staff were appointed.

Assessments of people's needs were completed by the hospital discharge team prior to people being admitted into the service. Care plans detailed people’s immediate care needs for the duration of their stay at the service and people were involved in the planning of their care wherever possible.

Staff had received training, and although the overall staffing records were not up to date, they spoke positively about the access to training, support and guidance they were provided with.

People were supported to ensure their health needs were met. The service worked in partnership with multiple health professionals to ensure that any changes to people’s health and well-being were responded to promptly and their recovery from COVID-19 was monitored.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff treated people with respect and compassion. People praised the staff team and described them as caring and attentive.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 12 May 2020.

At the last inspection, the service was not rated (published 14 November 2020).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

¿ The environment was well organised with clear separation of different units. Cohorting of staff had been successfully implemented to minimise the risk of cross contamination. The home was clean, fresh and well ventilated. Thorough and regular cleaning regimes were strictly followed by staff and monitored by management.

¿ Staff were seen regularly washing their hands, wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as per national guidance. Donning and doffing stations were strategically placed in the unit with guidance and signs displayed to ensure everyone was reminded the correct procedures when entering a unit. Staff working in the designated area had their own preparation area, separate from the rest of the staff group with own lockers and a laundry service.

¿ The service was not receiving visitors other than health or social care professionals involved in people’s care. Receiving professional visitors to the service was done with robust infection control procedures in place. Visitors were received into the reception area on arrival where they were provided with guidance, PPE and a health screening was completed. Each visitor had their temperature checked by staff on arrival and asked for their contact details for track and trace purposes.

¿ Risks to people and staff in relation to their health, safety and well-being had been assessed. Support for staff working in the service was in place. They had training, received uniforms and laundry service was available. Staff had regular supervision sessions.

¿ The provider had robust policies, procedures and guidance for the service to ensure all work processes were underpinned by best practice and national guidance. The manager and staff were knowledgeable and followed the providers policies when managing and delivering care and support to people.

We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.