Honeysuckle Farm

About the service

Honeysuckle Farm is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 15 people. The service specialises in providing support to people with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The accommodation is on two floors with a passenger lift and stairs for access. At the time of or inspection 15 people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support

People using the service had a good quality of life. They told us they were happy at the service and enjoyed the many activities provided. Relatives made positive comments about the service including: ‘an outstanding home'; 'a happy atmosphere which evokes a sense of family and respect for others ‘; and 'The home is always clean, smells fresh, and is warm, and safe.' People were pleased to show us their personalised bedrooms and introduce us to their range of pets including a dog and some newly hatched baby ducklings. The service had its own day centre and full-time activities co-ordinator who worked with people to ensure they had lots to do at the service and in the community. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

Right Care

The registered manager and staff ensured people had excellent access to healthcare services. A relative said, “[People's] needs are met to ensure they can live to their full potential physically, mentally, emotionally. medically and socially.” A visiting healthcare professional said staff knew people’s healthcare needs extremely well and this led to good outcomes regarding their health and wellbeing. Care plans were personalised, and people’s rooms decorated to suit their individual preferences. Staff were caring and dedicated to the people they supported. A relative said, “Staff work exceedingly hard [and] really care about the residents and go out of their way to keep them safe, healthy and happy.”

Right culture

Some improvements were needed to record keeping to ensure the records reflected the good-quality care and support provided. The culture of the service was warm and caring and the registered manager and staff valued the people they supported and knew them well. A staff member said, “When we go shopping the [registered] manager even knows all their [people’s] shoe sizes.” People, relatives, and visiting health and social care professionals made many positive comments about the registered manager and her commitment to the people using the service. A healthcare professional said the registered manager was 'friendly and approachable' and praised their ‘excellent leadership’.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (report published on 11 March 2021).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s safety and staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks and to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.

We also looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe and Well-led key questions. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Honeysuckle Farm provides personal care and support for up to 15 adults with a learning disability and/or physical disability. The accommodation is provided over two floors, access to the first floor is via stairwell or passenger lift. Communal facilities which include a lounge, conservatory and dining room were located on the ground floor. Most bedrooms on the ground floor have direct access to the gardens to the rear of the service. At the time of the inspection the service had 15 people in residence, with an age range of 54 – 85 years.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We found Honeysuckle Farm to be warm and welcoming, we saw and heard many caring and supportive conversations between people and staff. People were very relaxed in their home, taking part in several individual and group activities. People participated in a group exercise session, which created much laughter. Another person spent much of their time outside gardening, whilst others were seen knitting and completing puzzles. People spoke with affection about the resident cat and dog, and many people enjoyed the dog sitting on their knee.

People also took part in everyday activities, which included preparing vegetables, setting tables for mealtimes, washing and drying the pots after a meal. People told us they had a keyworker who was responsible for supporting them to maintain contact with family members, supporting with personal shopping and exploring activities and interests.

People told us they felt safe, and that they knew who to speak with if they had any worries or concerns. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in reporting concerns to safeguard people.

People’s records provided clear information for staff about their role in promoting health, safety and welfare. Potential risks were assessed. Staff training in health and safety topics promoted people’s safety, which included medication training. Medication was managed safely.

The service had set up a visiting room in an adjacent building to enable family members to visit safely during the COVID pandemic. People told us they had had family members visit and had maintained contact with family members. All visitors to the service were required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE). Staff wore PPE and understood the importance of infection prevention and control. Both people and staff were routinely tested for COVID, consistent with government guidance.

Quality monitoring of the service was a key part of the providers commitment to developing the service and included the carrying out of internal mock style inspections. Meetings were regularly held documenting improvements and ideas for the future.

People’s views, and that of family members were sought through meetings and surveys. Improvements had been identified, which included the development of space to the rear of the service to provide a patio area, this would create easier access area for people with mobility difficulties.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 30 October 2017).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the safe care of people. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Honeysuckle Farm on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Honeysuckle Farm is a care home located in Newtown Unthank, Leicestershire. It provides support for up to 15 people who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people living the home, two of whom were in hospital. At the last inspection in October 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

People on the whole told us they felt safe living at Honeysuckle Farm. Relatives we spoke with agreed that people were safe living there. Staff understood their responsibilities for keeping people safe. They were aware of what to look out for and what to do, if they suspected that someone was at risk of harm.

Risks associated with people’s care and support had been assessed and reviewed on a regular basis. Robust processes were followed when new members of staff had been recruited. This was to make sure they were suitable and safe to work there. People received their medicines as prescribed and there were appropriate systems in place to audit the management of medicines.

The staff team were suitably trained and supported by the management team through supervisions, appraisals and staff meetings. They were aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This made sure that people’s human rights were protected.

People were supported to access relevant healthcare services. Nutritional assessments had been carried out and people were supported to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. People were fully involved in the development of the menus that were in place and these catered for people’s personal preferences.

The staff team were caring and kind and treated people with respect. People’s independence was promoted and they were supported to make choices with regard to their care and support.

Plans of care had been developed and the staff team knew the needs of the people they were supporting well.

People were regularly reminded of what to do if they had a concern of any kind and the provider’s complaints process was displayed for people’s information.

Staff members felt supported by the registered manager and the management team. They had been given the opportunity to meet with them on a regular basis and felt able to speak with them if they had any suggestions or concerns of any kind.

People's views of the service were sought. This was through informal chats and meetings. Surveys had also been used to get gather people’s thoughts and suggestions of how the service could be improved. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

All medicines were kept secure. There was suitable storage for controlled medicines and a secure medication fridge. Medicines were administered safely and the medication administration records completed accurately to show people had received their medicines at the right times. Staff had received training in the safe handling and administration of medicines and their competency was assessed.

People told us they received their medicines on time and knew what they were prescribed. We found staff did not always follow the medication administration procedures and records were not completed accurately, which meant people's health and wellbeing was put at risk.

People lived in an environment that was clean, comfortable, safe and adequately maintained. Risks were assessed and suitable equipment was provided to ensure people's needs could be met safely. Staff were trained to protect and maintain people's safety. There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Regular checks were carried out on the premises to make sure it was safe and equipment used was adequately maintained.

People were supported by staff that had been screened to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff received induction training for their job role so that people could be confident that their needs were met by trained staff.

Information about the service and the complaint procedure was produced in formats suitable for people using the service. People were involved in developing their care plans, which were person centred and set out the care and support needs. Easy read, symbols and pictures were used to signify important aspects of people's life and how they wanted to be cared for.

People were supported to maintain contact with family. They used a range of educational services and took part in social activities within the community such as bowling, shopping and the annual Christmas pantomime production.

People were cared for and supported by trained staff that maintained their knowledge and skills through regular training, updates, support and supervision.

The provider had an effective quality assurance system, which monitored the day to day running of the service. These included audits and checks on the environment, delivery of care and records and the management of the service. People were asked for their views and supported to make a comment about the service through care review meetings, surveys and using the complaint procedure.