Frank Foster House

This CQC inspection report for Frank Foster House provides an overview of the service's performance across key areas of care. The inspection focused on safety, caring, and leadership, with previous ratings in these areas now requiring improvement. While many aspects of the service are functioning, the report highlights areas where the home needs to strengthen its practices to ensure consistent quality of care and resident well-being. The findings aim to guide the home in making necessary adjustments for a better resident experience.

Regarding safety, the home has made progress in areas like infection control, medicine administration, and safe recruitment. However, there are concerns that people are not always protected from harm, particularly in relation to fire safety measures and the management of personal emergency evacuation plans. Additionally, staff deployment was not always effective, leading to occasional lapses in the monitoring of residents who choose to stay in their rooms, and some rushed mealtimes.

In terms of how caring the service is, residents generally feel safe and their privacy and dignity are maintained. The home involves residents and their families in decision-making and holds resident meetings to gather feedback. However, staff did not always promote resident independence, and while staff were observed to be kind, more familiar relationships with residents were not always evident.

In terms of how well-led the service is, the management team has systems for monitoring quality, and they understand their regulatory responsibilities. They also ensure staff receive training and are encouraged to learn from incidents. Nevertheless, auditing processes need improvement to consistently identify and address shortfalls, such as inconsistent recording of care after incidents. Staff deployment has also not been regularly reviewed, leading to some areas being understaffed while others have staff congregating.