Archived: Burrough Farm

Updated 12 October 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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 14 and 17 August and was unannounced. On the first day of the inspection the inspector was joined by an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. This expert has direct experience of someone in their family using this type of service.

Before our inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the home, which included incident notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. We reviewed the service’s 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.

During our visit we met with 14 people using the service, some within the care home and some who receive personal care within their own home, to gain their views about the care and support they received. We also met with five care staff, the registered manager and the providers. We looked at records which related to four people’s individual care, including risk assessments, and people’s medicine records. We checked records relating to recruitment, training, supervision, complaints, safety checks and quality assurance processes.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Following the inspection we spoke with three relatives and two health care professionals.

Updated 12 October 2015

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.