Archived: Hillview Farm

Updated 9 July 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 was carried out by one inspector and took place on 7 and 8 June 2016. We looked at all the information we had collected about the service. This included previous inspection reports and information received from social care professionals. We also looked at notifications the service had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we spoke with ten of the people who use the services, (three in depth). We spoke with the registered manager, the business and training development manager, eight care workers (four in depth) and one relative. We observed interactions between people who use the service and staff during the two days of our inspection. After the inspection we spoke with four relatives and requested feedback from three healthcare professionals and six social care professionals. We received feedback from three social care professionals.

We looked at three people's care plans, associated documentation and medication records. We looked at the staff training log, staff supervision log and the recruitment file for four members of staff employed since our last inspection. Medicines administration, storage and handling were checked. We reviewed a number of documents relating to the management of the service. For example, the utility service certificates, fire risk assessment, legionella risk assessment, food safety checks and the complaints and incidents records.

Updated 9 July 2016

This inspection took place on 7 and 8 June 2016 and was unannounced. We last inspected the service in September 2014. At that inspection we found the service was compliant with the essential standards we inspected.

Hillview Farm is a location with four houses on the same site. Three of the houses make up a care home without nursing that provides a service to up to nineteen people with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people living in the three houses. In the fourth house the provider offers a supported living service for two people. Attached to the service the organisation has a 6 acre smallholding where they offer day opportunities, including horse and other animal care, horticultural activities and weekly riding lessons. On the same site the organisation runs an educational service called "Experience Education". These services are open to people from outside Hillview Farm as well as those living there who are interested in attending. Although some of the people using the service attend the daytime activities and educational facility on site, those provisions do not come under the provider's registration and were not assessed as part of this inspection.

The service had a registered manager as required. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager and the business and training development manager were present and assisted us with our inspection.

Staff showed skill when working with people and it was obvious they knew them well and people were treated with care and kindness. Staff were aware of people's abilities and encouraged them to be as independent as possible.

People received support that was individualised to their personal preferences and needs. Social care professionals told us they thought the service provided personalised care that was responsive to people's needs.

People received appropriate health care support. People's health and well-being was assessed and measures put in place to ensure people's needs were met in an individualised way. Medicines were stored and administered safely.

People's wellbeing was protected and all interactions observed between staff and people living at the service were caring, friendly and respectful. People's rights to confidentiality were upheld and staff treated them with respect and dignity.

People were protected from the risks of abuse and from risks associated with their health and care provision. They were protected by recruitment processes and people could be confident that staff were checked for suitability before being allowed to work with them. There were sufficient numbers of staff on each shift to make sure people's needs were met.

People benefitted from staff who were well supervised and received training to ensure they could carry out their work safely and effectively

People's rights to make their own decisions were protected. Managers and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They were aware of their responsibilities related to the Act and ensured that any decisions made on behalf of people were made within the law and in their best interests.

People and their relatives knew how to raise concerns and felt they were listened to and taken seriously if they did. Staff recognised early signs of concern or distress from people living at the service and took prompt and appropriate action to reassure people when needed.

People benefitted from living at a service that had an open and friendly culture. People and their relatives felt staff were happy working at the service. Social care professionals felt the service demonstrated good management and leadership and worked well in partnership with them.