We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Office at Smokey Farm on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Office at Smokey Farm, you can give feedback on this service.
The Office at Smokey Farm is a supported living service that provides personal care and support to younger adults who have autism, learning disabilities and/or mental health conditions. At time of our inspection the service was supporting six people living in their own flats in one building, known as ‘Bredon View'. People’s homes had ensuites and their own private gardens. People also had access to shared facilities such as outside spaces and a spa to enjoy, plus communal kitchens, a laundry room and a sensory room.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were cared and supported for by a well led motivated management team and staff that were passionate and enthusiastic.
There was a strong person centred culture embedded within the service. People were supported by kind, caring and compassionate staff that had formed positive relationships with them. People were encouraged to live as full a life as possible and staff supported them to achieve this. People received care that was personalised to meet their individual needs and preferences.
Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of harm and abuse. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed, monitored and managed so they were supported to stay safe while their freedom was respected.
Staff were recruited safely. The provider had robust recruitment procedures in place and was extremely committed in ensuring potential new staff were of good character and had the right values to work with vulnerable people.
Staff were provided with the relevant training and support needed to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. People received their medicines as prescribed. Infection control policies and procedures were in place to keep people safe.
People were supported to access healthcare services. Staff were able to identify and communicate any changes to a person’s needs to ensure appropriate support was sought.
People were encouraged to do activities and hobbies they enjoyed and supported to try new ones. Relatives were positive about the service, how it’s managed, the staff and the care and support provided.
The service was well-led. The provider and registered manager had a good oversight. There were robust quality assurance checks and audits in place. Feedback was welcomed and used to further improve people’s experience of using the service.
The registered manager, supported by the provider, had developed a person centred culture. Staff and management were enthusiastic and spoke passionately about their roles and responsibilities and were committed to constantly provide high quality personalised care. They actively engaged with people, their relatives and professionals in the ongoing delivery of their care and support.
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.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
The right support:
The model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence. The supported living location is set in a spacious rural area. The surroundings enabled people to take part in outdoor activities including accessing the local amenities. One relative described the setting as, “A specialist environment for people with complex needs.” A further relative said, “[Family member] is given opportunities, we are more than happy with the care and support provided.”
Right care:
People received good quality person-centred care that promoted their dignity, privacy and human
rights. There was a strong person-centred culture within the staff team. Positive behaviour support plans had been developed for people, to understand the reasons for their behaviour, and provide guidance for staff to ensure consistent approaches were used. Staff knew people well and demonstrated an understanding of people’s individual care, behaviour and communication needs.
Right culture:
People were supported by staff where the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of management and care staff ensured people led confident, inclusive and empowered lives. Staff created a nurturing family environment.
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 04/02/2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection as the service had not previously received a rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.