Staff at Kempston care home called residents who needed help to eat "feeders" says damning report

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A health watchdog has criticised Fernleigh Court Care and Nursing Home and given it an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) made two unscheduled visits to the Fletcher Road home last month (January) and in December has published its findings.

And inspectors said Fernleigh Court requires improvement in all the key areas – including safety and leadership – and is in breach of two regulations of the Health and Social Care Act.

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Fernleigh Court Care and Nursing Home, in Fletcher Road, KempstonFernleigh Court Care and Nursing Home, in Fletcher Road, Kempston
Fernleigh Court Care and Nursing Home, in Fletcher Road, Kempston

But management at Country Court Care Homes 6 Limited – which runs the home – says its operations team has already implemented an improvement plan, and are committed to making changes.

The CQC report said: “Staff did not always treat people with kindness and compassion. When one person was asleep, staff repeatedly asked them to wake up for meals rather than leave them to rest. Staff did not always speak with people in a kind and reassuring manner when supporting them to eat. People were not supported to go to a quieter area away from other people when making personal phone calls, including those relating to health appointments.

"Staff did not always refer to people with dignity and respect, for example by calling people who needed support to eat and drink as ‘feeders’. Staff did not always refer to people by their name when discussing them with other staff members and spoke about people’s personal care needs in front of other people. The language used to describe people in daily records was not always kind and compassionate.”

Inspectors also found the home didn’t thoroughly assess people’s needs before they started using the service.

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One relative told the CQC: “It took a long time for everything to get sorted out when [family member] used the service. I had to keep chasing things up to make sure staff had what they needed to support them safely.”

And when concerns about the assessment process came to light, senior management took the decision to stop admitting people to the service and update their admissions processes to make sure they were safe.

It also looks like there had been some breakdowns in relationships between the staff and external health professionals – with advice from health professionals not always clearly recorded.

One relative told inspectors: “It was frustrating when [family member’s appointments] was organised and we didn’t really know what happened as a result. This was not recorded anywhere, and we did not know about it until we asked.”

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However, the CQC did say that following the visit, the senior management team have started implementing immediate improvements and the report added: “These had a positive effect on people’s experiences and people were no longer unsafe living at the service.”

The health watchdog also found:

Safety was hit and miss

Staff did not always follow people’s risk assessments

Mixed feedback from relatives about staffing levels

Residents were not always supported in line with evidence-based care and treatment

Residents were positive about the meals at the service

Staff were knowledgeable about what to do if there was an emergency such as a fire

The service was clean and free from unpleasant odours

Helen Richmond, Country Court Care Homes 6 Limited operations director, said: “At Country Court, our top priority is to provide the highest standard of care for our residents. Our operations team has already implemented an improvement plan, focusing on key areas highlighted in the report to align the home with Country Court’s ethos of delivering exceptional person-centred care.

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“We are working closely with external professionals, including the safeguarding team and CQC, maintaining weekly communications to ensure we are continuously improving and meeting the necessary standards.

“We are committed to making the necessary changes and will continue to work collaboratively with staff, residents, their families, and external partners to ensure the home meets the high standards expected from all Country Court homes."

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