Fairlawn care home in Ferndown is celebrating being rated ‘Good’ by the care watchdog around a month after welcoming new home manager Veronika Blake.
As well as praising staff at the St Mary’s Road care home, inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said they were assured the home is “preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections”, “admitting people safely to the service”, “accessing testing for people using the service and staff” and “making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed”.
Fairlawn is managed by not-for-profit care provider and charity Care South, which is based in Poole and operates care homes across the south. In their report, the CQC said Fairlawn was safe and well led, adding: “Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic there have been various restrictions and changes within the home… People and their relatives told us this has been managed well.”
The improved CQC rating follows the appointment of Veronika Blake as the new permanent home manager. She brings years of care experience, previously supporting people living with learning disabilities at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Veronika said: “Fairlawn is a great place to be, with a homely feel, amazing staff and lovely residents. I believe the key to creating a great care home is being open and communicating with everyone to help build strong, collaborative relationships – be that with residents, relatives, or external health care organisations.”
Aaron Whitehead, Director of Residential Care at Care South, added: “This improved rating is a great reward for the hard work being put in by everyone at Fairlawn, especially given the added pressure of supporting residents and keeping the safe during the pandemic. I would like to thank them all and look forward to a bright future for the care home under Veronika’s leadership.”
For more information about Fairlawn care home call 01202 877277 or visit www.care-south.co.uk.