Archived: Hill Farm

Updated 31 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team was made up of one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 7 January 2020 and ended on 15 January 2020. We visited the office location on 9 January 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered with us. This included statutory notifications, safeguarding concerns and the Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. The provider had not been asked to send us a PIR.

During the inspection

We spoke with one of the directors, the registered manager and two members of staff. We also spoke with two people who used the service and one of their family members by telephone. We reviewed a range of records which included four people’s care plans. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance checks were reviewed.

After the inspection

We sought feedback from health and social care professionals who worked in partnership with the service and continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 31 January 2020

About the service

Hill Farm is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support for people in their own homes, some of whom may be living with dementia. Not everyone who uses the service may receive personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection the service were providing personal care to four people.

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

People and their family members were very positive about the support they received. People felt safe and well cared for. People benefitted from being supported by regular care staff. Staff had enough time to spend with people, stayed for the full duration and were on time.

Risks to people had been identified and staff knew what to do to keep people safe. There were enough staff employed who had been safely recruited. Medicines were managed safely by staff who had been trained and assessed as competent. Staff adhered to infection control practices, such as wearing gloves and aprons to prevent the spread of infection.

People's needs had been assessed to be sure the service could meet them. People's choices and preferences were known and respected. Staff received training and support to be competent in their role. Staff felt well supported and enjoyed working at the service. People received help with meals and drinks that met their needs and preferences.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s health needs had been assessed and they were supported to access healthcare services when needed. The service worked in partnership with a range of health and social care professionals to support people with their health and wellbeing.

Staff were kind and caring and knew people well. People were listened to and involved as partners in their care. Peoples dignity, privacy and independence was respected and upheld.

People received personalised care that met their individual needs and preferences. A complaints policy and procedure were in place and people knew how to make a complaint. People's communication needs had been assessed and staff knew how to communicate with people effectively.

People were supported at the end of their life. Their end of life wishes, and preferences were discussed with them and recorded so they could be met.

The service was well led by a registered manager who was committed to providing good quality person-centred care. This commitment was shared and put into practice by the staff team. Quality assurance systems and processes were in place to monitor and improve safety and quality. People and staff were included in the development of the service. Feedback was invited and acted upon to drive improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 20 February 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.