Enter and view: Fernlea House

Healthwatch Stoke-On-Trent conducted an Enter and View on Fernlea House, a non-nursing care home with 12 places on the 15th of May 2017. This was an announced visit with the Manager of the home informed by letter prior to the visit.

The care home had received inadequate in all five ratings on the last Care Quality Commission Report, published on the 30th January 2017 and had been placed in 'special measures'.

Observation by the Enter and View representatives reported that:

There have recently been improvements to the care home and members were informed that it had recently been taken out of special measures. At the time of the visit some residents were sitting in the lounge and others were in their bedrooms, it was observed that there was a reasonable rapport between staff and residents. Decor and carpets were well maintained and pictures and mirrors were on display throughout the building. There was a fire exit that was unlocked and could be means for residents leaving but staff were on hand to supervise. The home had an accessible garden. The lounge was spacious and contained fruit available for the residents, with pictures of the staff and residents on display. The bedrooms were clean and tidy, small although an adequate size. There was a small kitchen to prepare food that was available for residents to use if assessed but only on resident had been. There was an out of date activities list which showed activities at the home.

Residents commented that:

A hairdresser comes for the ladies but he prefers to go across the road. That they were going to the theater next week and that a singer comes two times a week. He regularly goes swimming and he would of been at yoga but they changed the days. They don't have a minibus but they have regular taxis and they know the drivers. Another resident commented with ‘It’s lovely. Everybody’s very kind. They listen to what you tell them. They treat you very respectfully, Very kind’.

Recommendations made after the visit were:

- We believe that the situation regarding the fire exit needs to be reviewed as

a matter of some urgency. Although we were assured that someone is

always present, this might not always be the case and a safer method of

guaranteeing safety of residents should be considered.

- Although we were pleased to see that a list of activities was displayed on

the notice board to inform residents, to be effective it needs to be up to

date. We would suggest a member of staff regularly is tasked to check all

notices put up within the Home to ensure they are current.