Fairfield Care Ltd

Updated 14 March 2019

The inspection:

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.

Inspection team:

The inspection was completed by one adult social care inspector and 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.

Service and service type:

Fairfield Care is a domiciliary care service. The service operates a supported living service and outreach provision to both children and adults with complex care needs and learning difficulties.

The service had a manager registered with The Care Quality Commission (CQC). This means that they and the registered 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 visit. This is because it is a small service and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in the office when we visited.

What we did:

Before our inspection we looked at information we held about the service. The registered provider had completed a Provider Information Return form (PIR). A PIR is a form we ask registered providers to submit annually detailing what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information stored on our database, such as notifications that the registered manager is required, by law, to submit to us as and when incidents had occurred. We also spoke to the Local authority and commissioning team to gain feedback about the service. We used all this information to formulate a planning tool; this helped us to identify key areas we needed to focus on during the inspection.

The inspection took place on the 12 February 2019

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, one deputy manager and five members of staff. We were unable to directly speak to people who were receiving support however, we did contact seven relatives who agreed to provide feedback about the quality and safety of care their loved one received. We also checked four care records of people in receipt of support, recruitment records of four members of staff and other records relating to the overall management and quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 14 March 2019

About the Service:

Fairfield Care provides is a domiciliary care service. The service operates a supported living service and outreach provision to both children and adults with complex care needs and learning difficulties. A supported living service enables people with a learning disability to live in their own home and the outreach provision is a service which supports people to access their local community with support from staff. At the time of the inspection 11 people were receiving support.

People’s experience of using this service:

Medication procedures had improved since the last inspection. All staff received medication administration training and competency levels were regularly reviewed. Staff had access to an up to date medications administration policy and understood the importance of complying with policy guidance.

We received positive feedback about the quality and safety of care people received. Relatives confirmed that Fairfield Care provided high-quality, person-centred care.

Care records contained the most up to date, relevant and consistent information in relation to people’s support needs and areas of risk that needed to be safely and effectively managed.

People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff received safeguarding training and knew how to report any concerns that presented. There was an up to date safeguarding and whistleblowing policy for staff to refer to.

Staffing levels and recruitment practices were safely managed. We received positive feedback about continuity of care people received from regular staff.

The registered provider ensured that all pre-employment checks were carried out and staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staff received a thorough induction and were supported with a variety of different training, learning and development opportunities.

The registered provider complied with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005. Staff understood and respected people’s right to make their own decisions and where possible, encouraged people to make decisions about the care they received.

A person-centred approach to care was evident. Care records contained detailed information about people’s likes, preferences and wishes; it was clear during the inspection that staff were familiar with the care that people required.

Relatives told us that staff provided kind, compassionate and dignified care. Staff developed positive relationships with people they supported; staff understood the importance of providing care that was tailored around people’s needs.

Staff supported people with activities that they enjoyed; people were actively engaged in hobbies and interests that were stimulating, exciting and fun.

The registered provider had a complaints process and policy in place; relatives knew how to raise a complaint and were confident that their concerns would be listened and responded to.

The quality and safety of the care was continuously monitored and assessed. The registered manager was committed to providing care that was safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality.

We received positive feedback from staff and relatives about the approach of management and their dedication to providing a high standard of care and support.

Staff told us that they received support on a daily basis and felt ‘valued’ as a member of the Fairfield Care team.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection service was rated ‘Good’ (report published May 2016). At this inspection we found that the registered provider continued to provide a good provision of care. The evidence we reviewed and feedback we received continued to support the rating of ‘good’; there was no evidence or information from our inspection or ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.

Why we inspected: This was a planned, announced inspection to confirm that the service remained 'good'.