The Farmhouse

Updated 22 April 2024

This responsive assessment was carried out to check if the service had made improvements since our last inspection. We carried out 2 visits to the care home as part of the assessment. This assessment was carried out by an Assessor, 3 Inspectors and a Medicine Inspector. Assessment activity started on 3 May 2024 and ended on 19 June 2024. We carried out the site visit on 7 May and 14 May 2024. We looked at 23 quality statements as part of this assessment. Farmhouse is a residential care home providing accommodation with personal care for up to 7 people living with a learning disability. At the time of this assessment, 5 people were living at the service. We found improvements had been made since our last inspection and the service had met the breaches relating to person centred, dignity, need for consent and staffing. However, the home was still in continued breach relating to risk assessments, safeguarding, staff recruitment and good governance. This service has been in Special Measures since December 2023. The provider demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Updated 22 April 2024

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. The service was unable to fully demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, Right care and Right culture. Right Support: Robust safeguarding systems were not in place. Staff had completed key training to perform their role effectively, which included training on learning disabilities and autism. Staff were supported through regular supervision. People had access to health care professionals. Care plans set out how to meet people’s needs in a person-centred way. Information was provided to people in a way that was accessible to them. Right Care: Robust risk assessments did not ensure people received safe care at all times. There was not a thorough recruitment and selection process for new staff. Incidents were not reviewed robustly to see if any lessons could be learnt from them. Medicines were being managed safely. There were enough staff working at the service to support people safely. Infection control and prevention systems were in place. Staff were caring when supporting people and had a good relationship with them. They respected people’s privacy and dignity. Right culture: Robust quality assurance systems were not in place to ensure shortfalls such as with risk assessments and pre-employment checks could be identified and action taken to ensure people were safe at all times. People were at the heart of what the service did. Relatives and staff told us there was an open and positive culture at the service. People were supported to express their views.