Archived: Hall Farm House

Updated 10 February 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 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 unannounced inspection took place on 30 December 2015. The inspection team consisted of one inspector. 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 reviewed the information received and statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events and the provider is required to send us this by law. We contacted commissioners (who fund the care for some people) of the service and asked them for their views.

During the inspection we spoke with one person who was living at the service. Some people who used the service had limited verbal communication so we also relied on observations and spoke with the relatives of people who used the service to get their views. We also conducted a telephone interview with relatives of a person who had recently left the service. We spoke with three members of staff and the registered manager.

We looked at the care records of two people who used the service, five staff files, as well as a range of records relating to the running of the service, which included audits carried out by the registered manager.

Updated 10 February 2016

We carried out this unannounced inspection on 30 December 2015. Hall Farm is run and managed by Voyage Care. The service provides care and support for up to six people with learning disabilities or acquired brain injuries. On the day of our inspection two people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse and staff had a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities if they suspected abuse was happening. The registered manager shared information with the local authority when needed. Action was taken following any incidents to try and reduce the risks of incidents happening again. People received their medicines as prescribed and the management of medicines was safe.

Staffing levels were sufficient to support people’s needs and people received care and support when required. Staff were provided with the knowledge and skills to care for people effectively and felt supported by the management team.

People were encouraged to make independent decisions and staff were aware of legislation to protect people who lacked capacity when decisions were made in their best interests. We also found staff were aware of the principles within the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and had not deprived people of their liberty without applying for the required authorisation.

People were protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition. Specialist diets were provided if needed. Referrals were made to health care professionals when needed.

People were treated in a caring and respectful way and staff delivered support in a relaxed and considerate manner. Positive caring relationships had developed between staff and the people who lived at the home.

People who used the service, or their representatives, were encouraged to be involved in decisions and they or their representatives, were encouraged to contribute to the planning of their care.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of service provision. People also felt they could report any concerns to the management team and felt they would be taken seriously