SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?38%Inadequate
See the breakdownHide the breakdown8 of 8 below good
Involving people to manage risksSignificant shortfalls
Learning cultureSignificant shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSignificant shortfalls
SafeguardingSignificant shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlSome shortfalls
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Safe environmentsSome shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsSome shortfalls
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?42%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 6 below good
Consent to care and treatmentSignificant shortfalls
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentSignificant shortfalls
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
How staff, teams and services work togetherSome shortfalls
Monitoring and improving outcomesSome shortfalls
Supporting people to live healthier livesSome shortfalls
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?55%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 5 below good
Independence, choice and controlSignificant shortfalls
Kindness, compassion and dignitySignificant shortfalls
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?61%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown3 of 7 below good
Person-centred careSignificant shortfalls
Equity in experiences and outcomesSome shortfalls
Providing InformationSome shortfalls
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Planning for the futureGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?50%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown4 of 7 below good
Governance, management and sustainabilitySignificant shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSignificant shortfalls
Shared direction and cultureSignificant shortfalls
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSome shortfalls
Freedom to speak upGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 10 good, 23 below good. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?
CQC hasn't inspected this home for more than 5 years. It re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating doesn't count against a home on this site, but it may not reflect the home today. ?
Fernery House is one of 194 care homes in Somerset: a 7-bed residential care home in Burnham On Sea, run by National Autistic Society (The). It is registered to care for people with a learning disability or autism. It is a small home for Somerset, where the median is 25 beds.
Across Somerset, 89% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England. The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from January 2024. 94% of homes in Somerset also score 5. National Autistic Society (The) runs 16 care homes, and 11 of the 16 rated are Good or Outstanding. Frith House, 0.4 km away, is the closest home rated Outstanding.
The current CQC rating is Requires improvement, published in January 2026. It was Requires improvement for effective, caring, responsive and well-led as well. For safe, the rating was Inadequate. It was also rated Requires improvement at the inspection before, in February 2023. Ratings in Somerset are typically about 4 years old, which makes this one newer than most. 23 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “independence, choice and control”.
