The Firs Residential Home

Date of assessment: 27 February to 6 March 2025. The Firs Residential Home is a care home providing regulated activity to people over the age of 65, people living with dementia and people who have mental health conditions. There were 21 people using the service at the time of our assessment. This assessment was carried out following information of concern we had received about the quality of the care in the service. We found 2 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. We found no evidence that people had been harmed, however, systems were either not in place or robust enough to demonstrate governance was effectively managed. We found medicines were not always managed safely in the service as records relating to the administration of people’s medicines were not fully completed and fridge and room temperature records contained gaps in the recording, this was not in line with best practice or the providers policy. We also found some areas of the environment had not been well maintained, hazards we identified had not been assessed or mitigated prior to the provider’s refurbishment plan for the service commencing. The service lacked effective systems and processes to aid the management oversight, audits which had been completed did not identify or action the issues we found. People’s care plans and risk assessments had been fully completed, and appropriate referrals were made to support people with any changes in their needs. Staff were recruited safely and had received training appropriate for their roles. People, relatives and staff all had opportunity to feedback on their experience of the service and we found the provider worked with people and staff to provide an inclusive and fair culture. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.