Background to this inspection
Updated
26 November 2019
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 was carried out by an inspector, and an assistant inspector.
Service and service type
Farmfield View is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission in post at the time of the inspection. Both a registered manager 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
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This information helps support our inspections and we used all of this information to plan our inspection.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection
We spoke with three people who used the service, and prior to the inspection, one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the regional manager, area manager, quality compliance manager, acting manager, acting service manager, senior care worker and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also looked at a number of agency staff profiles. We viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits.
After the inspection
We contacted the provider to ask for further records to support our report. However, at the time of writing the report some information requested had not been received.
Updated
26 November 2019
About the service
Farmfield view is a care home providing care and accommodation for people with Autism and learning difficulties providing personal and nursing care. The service can support up to seven people and at the time of our inspection seven people were using the service.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. However people using the service did not always receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People who lived at the service were not always safe as safeguarding concerns had not been properly monitored or reported in a timely way. This had resulted in a lack of learning from events.
The risks to people’s safety were assessed but, did not always fully reflect the needs of the person. People were not consistently supported by enough staff to meet their needs and as a result there was a lack of personalised care. They were not able to undertake meaningful and individualised social activities of their choice.
Staff had not always received up to date training to support them in their roles. People’s health needs were not always effectively managed, and although majority of people’s nutritional needs were supported, one person’s weight loss had not been clearly managed. The environment people lived in was not always well maintained.
People were not always 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.
The service didn’t consistently apply the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people did not fully reflect the principles and values of Registering the Right Support for the following reasons; there was a lack of choice and control. People had not been supported to undertake social activities of their choice on a regular basis.
There was a lack of evidence to show how complaints and concerns had been managed at the service. The quality monitoring processes had not been undertaken consistently to provide effective oversight of the service.
People’s medicines were stored and administered safely, and people were protected from the risk of infection. Staff supporting people were kind and caring, they worked to maintain their privacy and dignity.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 1 March 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing levels, safeguarding issues and management of the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.