The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Burrough Farm

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Churchill Way, Northam, Bideford, Devon, EX39 1SU (01237) 472579

Provided and run by:
Credence Care Ltd

Important: This service is now registered at a different address - see new profile

All Inspections

14 and 17 August 2015

During a routine inspection

An unannounced inspection was completed at this service on 14 and 17 August 2015. Credence Care limited is registered to provider accommodation and support for up to 10 people at Burrough Farm and also provides personal care to people in their own home in the Bideford area. The service provides this support to people with learning disabilities.

A registered manager was in post who is also part of the limited company who runs the service. 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 2014 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are put in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves or others. At the time of the inspection, applications had been made to the local authority in relation to people who lived at the service. The registered manager told us these were waiting to be approved.

People said they felt safe and well cared for. Staff knew people’s needs and preferences and had the right training and support to enable them to deliver care safely and effectively. Care and support was being well planned and any risks were identified and actions put in place to minimise these.

People were offered a variety of activities and outings and their human rights was respected promoted. People had opportunities to access the local community.

Healthcare professionals said people’s healthcare needs were being well met and the staff team were proactive in seeking advice in a timely way to ensure this.

There were enough staff available both at the home and to provide personal care for people in their own home. People spoke highly about the staff group who supported them and we observed care and support being delivered in a kind and compassionate way. Relatives who we spoke with confirmed their views were considered and they were kept informed of any changes in people’s needs and wishes.

Staff knew how to protect people from potential risk of harm and who they should report any concerns to. They also understood how to ensure people’s human rights were being considered and how to work in a way which respected people’s diversity.

The provider ensured the home was safe and that audits were used to review the quality of care and support being provided, taking into consideration the views of people using the service and the staff working there.

The ethos and culture of the service as to promote independence for as long as possible and ensure people were given choices in all aspects of their daily lives.

11 June 2013

During a routine inspection

On the day of our visit we were told that there were ten people living at Burrough Farm. One person was not present due to being on holiday visiting their sister. We spoke to nine people living at the home, spent time observing the care people were receiving, spoke to four members of staff, which included the deputy manager, and looked at three people's care files in detail.

We spent time talking with people living at the home and observing how people were encouraged to maintain their independence and be involved in their care. People we spoke with felt happy living at Burrough Farm. Comments included: 'It's lovely here. I live with all my friends. We do all sorts here, we go to clubs, have BBQ's, go for picnics and ice creams.'

During our visit, we saw that people appeared relaxed and contented. For example, when we arrived people were getting ready for the day and a person was helping to bake fruit tarts with a member of staff.

We spoke with staff about their understanding of what constituted abuse and how to raise concerns. They demonstrated a good understanding of what kinds of things might constitute abuse, and knew where they should go to report any suspicions they may have.

The home ensured that health and safety checks were completed by the relevant authorities on an on-going basis.

Care records were stored securely in order to protect people's confidentiality.

7, 12 February 2013

During a routine inspection

We (the Care Quality Commission) visited Burrough Farm between 4pm and 7pm on Thursday 7 February 2013 and met with people living in the home, the deputy manager, and two staff on duty. We returned by arrangement on 12 February to look at care records, policies and procedures. We looked in detail at the care provided to two people and spoke with staff and health and social care professionals about their care.

People were sharing their lounge comfortably. One person said, 'I like the people here.' They told us about activities they enjoyed regularly. Group activities including swimming and keep fit were available every day. Key workers had arranged individual outings according to people's choices and goals.

We found that risks had been assessed and staff given guidance so that people could engage in activities of their choice while remaining safe. People's health care needs were assessed and met. Staff had requested professional support and guidance appropriately in order to meet people's complex needs.

We saw how people's medication was managed to maintain their good health. We looked at how records were kept for the safe running of the home and found they were accurate but not all were well organised.

24 February and 8 March 2012

During a routine inspection

We visited this service unannounced on the 24 February 2012 and again on the 8 March 2012. These inspection visits form part of our planned inspection programme. During these visits we spent time talking to people who live at the home. We also talked to four staff members and the two registered providers. We looked at some of their key documents. These included care plans, records concerning the handling of personal monies, risk assessments and staff training and recruitment records. This helped us to better understand how well the service was being run.

People we spoke with were positive about their experience of living at the home comments included 'I like it here very much. I have a nice room and I get to go out to lots of activities.' 'Its very good here with my friends.' 'I like living here, staff look after me.'

Staff we spoke with showed they had a good understanding of people's needs, and they said they were given training and support to do their job. Staff said in their view that 'a consistent staff team worked well.'

We saw that care plans had not been fully reviewed for some time. Two of the records we looked at had not been recorded as being reviewed since 2009. We looked at four care plans in some detail and saw that the way some things had been recorded meant that peoples' mental capacity had not been fully considered. We also saw that for one person a sanction for challenging behaviour had been put in place stating they were not allowed to go out on activities for a whole week. There was no record of why this deprivation of their liberty had been decided and no consultation recorded that this had been in agreement with anyone else outside of the home. We have advised that they talk to specialist support such as the local learning disability team about how best to manage behaviour that challenges.

We heard that people had various regular activities that they enjoyed doing each week. These include arts and crafts, drama and social clubs. Some people who did not enjoy these sorts of group activities enjoyed more one to one support to do things in their own home, such as cooking and trips out in the homes minibus.

We looked at all communal areas and some of the individual bedrooms. We spoke to the registered provider about how they ensure that the environment is safe and well maintained. They told us they had recently been inspected by the fire and rescue service and had already implemented further measures to make the home safe from possible fires. We saw that people's bedrooms were personalised and those who were able to, told us that they had chosen their own colour schemes and how they wished their room to layout to be.

Improvements are needed to ensure that care plans are reviewed with the person they concern, that they are written in accessible formats for people and risks are fully identified. The home must ensure decisions about managing behaviour that challenges is done in consultation with specialist support to ensure that best practice is used.