Fairlea care home in Northam told to make improvements

A Devon County Council care home has been told to make improvements following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

Fairlea care home in Northam was visited by inspectors in January who highlighted shortcomings in some of the home’s procedures and staffing levels.

Inspectors found the home was failing to comply with the regulation covering the way risk was assessed and managed so as to protect the welfare of residents.

Inspectors found that the staffing arrangements did not ensure that residents’ needs would be met in a timely and safe way.

The impact from faulty equipment had not been properly monitored and managed and this had put people at risk

Arrangements for ensuring adequate overview of residents’ care and welfare did not ensure that action would be taken in a timely manner.

Staff did not receive the supervision or support they should and the day to day management at the home was not effective

Ian Biggs, deputy director of CQC in the South said: “The law says that these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant and this cannot be allowed to continue.”

“We note that the council has said that it will take action. Our inspectors will keep Fairlea under review. We will return in the near future and if we find that this care home is not making the required progress we will consider further action to protect the people who use this service.”

Devon County Council’s head of social care provision Malcolm Vede said today: “The care and safety of our residents is our primary concern. Although some residents and their families told inspectors that they value the care provided at Fairlea, CQC highlights issues that we’re taking very seriously.

“The complexity of some residents’ needs have increased since moving to Fairlea, and the physical design of the building does make the caring role more time consuming. However we have brought in experienced management to carry through a range of improvements that address the inspectors’ concerns, including revised working arrangements and duty rotas for staff, greater levels of support and supervision, and closer monitoring of care including the installation of a new call system.”

The council is also reviewing residents’ care needs, which have changed for many people since they first arrived at the home, with some now requiring more complex care.

The council believes some residents would have their care needs better met at other more specialist homes, and is in the process of discussing with some residents and their families moves to other care homes.

Mr Vede said: “If through our assessments we see that an individual’s care needs have grown to a level beyond our registration remit at Fairlea, we’re discussing with them and their family a move to another home that can meet their needs more appropriately , such as a registered nursing home or one that provides specialist dementia care. We’re reassuring residents and their families that their individual needs and choices are being appropriately met, and that we’ll continue to listen and work with them in making any decisions.

“Ultimately it’ll come down to people’s care needs, their choices of other homes, and the availability of suitable homes that can meet their needs. These have to be decisions we take with our residents and their families, while of course being very careful to do this as sensitively as possible.”

Fairlea is owned and run by Devon County Council. It is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide residential care. It is not registered to provide specialist care for people with dementia or nursing care.