The Care Quality Commission
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  • Care home

Archived: Farthings

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

86 Lumbertubs Lane, Boothville, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 6AH (01604) 643726

Provided and run by:
Mrs M L Duggan

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

10 October 2017

During a routine inspection

Farthings provide accommodation and personal care for up to six people with learning disabilities. There were three people living at Farthings at the time of the inspection.

At the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection on 9 October 2015, the service was rated as Good. At this inspection the service has been rated as remains Good.

People continued to feel safe. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to safeguard people from the risk of harm. Risk assessments were in place and were reviewed regularly.

Staffing levels ensured that people's care and support needs were safely met. Safe recruitment processes were in place.

People received care from staff that had received training and support to carry out their roles. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink to maintain their health and well-being.

People were supported to access relevant health and social care professionals. There were systems in place to manage medicines in a safe way.

Staff demonstrated their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA). Staff gained people's consent before providing personal care. People were involved in the planning of their care which was person centred and updated regularly.

People were encouraged to make decisions about how their care was provided and their privacy and dignity were protected and promoted. People had developed positive relationships with staff. Staff had a good understanding of people's needs and preferences. People were listened to, their views were acknowledged and acted upon and care and support was delivered in the way that people chose and preferred.

People using the service and their relatives knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint. There was a complaints system in place and people were confident that any complaints would be responded to appropriately.

The service had an open culture which encouraged communication and learning. People, relatives and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service and it was used to drive continuous improvement.

The provider had quality assurance systems in place to review the quality of the service to help drive improvement.

9 and 12 October 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on the 9 and 12 October 2015 and was unannounced.

The service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to six people with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were six living there, some of whom had lived there for a number of years.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We saw that people were well supported and cared for and the home had a homely relaxed atmosphere. Everyone we were able to speak to complimented the staff who supported them and where people had limited communication we observed that people were calm and responded positively to staff.

There were appropriate recruitment processes in place and people felt safe in the home. Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people and knew how to respond if they had any concerns.

Staff were supported through regular supervisions and undertook training which focussed on helping them to understand the needs of the people they were supporting. People were involved in decisions about the way in which their care and support was provided. Staff understood the need to undertake specific assessments if people lacked capacity to consent to their care and / or their day to day routines. People’s health care and nutritional needs were carefully considered and relevant health care professionals were appropriately involved in people’s care.

People received care from staff who were kind and compassionate and who were committed to respecting their individuality and promoting their independence. Their needs were assessed prior to coming to the home, individualised care plans were in place and were kept under review. Staff had taken time to understand peoples likes, dislikes and past life’s and enabled people to participate in activities either individually or in groups.

People were cared for by staff who were respectful of their dignity and who demonstrated an understanding of each person’s needs. This was evident in the way staff spoke to people and engaged in conversations with them. Relatives commented positively about the care their relative was receiving and it was evident that people could approach management and staff to discuss any issues or concerns they had.

There were a variety of audits in place and action was taken to address any shortfalls. Management was visible and open to feedback, actively looking at ways to improve and develop the service.

18 October 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with four people who lived at the Farthings and reviewed the care records of two people. We also spoke to two members of staff and the manager.

Most people told us that they were happy living at the home and liked the staff that worked at the Farthings. People also told us that they enjoyed going out with the staff and did a range of different activities. One person told us that they had recently been on a holiday with some of the staff and that they had enjoyed going out to a café and had nice food to eat. People also told us that they were supported by the staff to see their family and friends. One person told us that they were looking forward to seeing their friend on their birthday and that the staff were going to help them choose a birthday present when they went shopping.

We found that people received care that met their needs and were supported to have a nutritious and balanced diet. We also found that the provider had a recruitment system that ensured that people using the service were supported with appropriate staff. We also found that medicines were handled appropriately and that the provider had an effective complaints system in place.

21 May 2012

During a routine inspection

We spoke with four people living at the home and they told us that they liked living at the Farthings. They told us that the staff were all friendly and that they helped them to do the things they could not manage themselves.

One person told us that living at the home was like being part of a 'big family'. They also said that the provider was like a 'second mum' and that this made it a nice care home to live in. The person told us that they enjoyed doing the activities that the home provided such as going to the college and doing their food shopping. They told us how the staff had taken them away on a holiday and that they had a wonderful time.

Another person said that the food was lovely at the Farthings and that they always had enough to eat and drink. They told us that they were very happy living at the home and that they could ask the staff for anything they wanted.