Archived: Home Farm

Updated 4 August 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on the 23 June 2016 and was unannounced.

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and a specialist professional advisor. The specialist advisor did not visit the service but did review the inspectors findings and the providers policies.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed the information we held about the service, such as notifications we had received from the registered provider. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. In addition we spoke with representatives of the local authority and commissioners. We planned the inspection using this information.

We spoke with all four of the people who used the service and seven members of staff including the registered manager and the operational manager.

We looked at four written records of care and other policies and records that related to the service. We looked at two staff files which included supervision, appraisal and induction. We saw a record of training and a training plan. We looked at quality monitoring documents.

Updated 4 August 2016

This unannounced inspection took place on 23 June 2016. We last inspected this service in September 2014.

Home Farm is a small care home for up to five people with a learning disability and complex support needs. It is run by West House, a not for profit organisation which provides a range of services to people with learning disabilities in the Cumbria area. The accommodation consists of a large converted farmhouse located in the large village of Camerton on the outskirts of the town of Workington.

The service had 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.

The management team and the provider were quite clear that the service was not meeting the needs of the people who used it. This was because people who used the service were incompatible due to differing needs. The provider had taken steps to decommission the service and ensure that the people who used it were found appropriate accommodation. The registered manager and the operational manager had a clear idea about the future of the people who used the service.

Risk assessments were carried out and plans put in place to reduce risks to people’ safety and welfare. Support plans were easy to read and based on assessment and reflected the needs of people.

Staff working in the service were aware of different types of abuse and knew how to report it. The service had clear policies relating to safeguarding. Staff had received appropriate training and knew how to support people.

People received support with their medicines from appropriately trained staff.

The service assessed people’s nutritional and hydration needs and provided support accordingly.

Staff had developed good relationships with people and communicated in a warm and caring manner. They were aware of how to treat people with dignity and respect. Policies were in place that outlined acceptable standards in this area.

There was a complaints procedure in place that outlined how to make a complaint and how long it would take to deal with.

We made a recommendation that the service reviewed how it prevented and managed violence and aggression.