Archived: Place Farm House

Updated 2 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 home, and to provide a rating for the home under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on the 24 May 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care home.

Prior to the inspection the provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR), this is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the home, what the home does well and any improvements they plan to make. Other information that we looked at prior to the inspection included previous inspection reports and notifications that had been submitted. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with seven people, three relatives, three members of staff, the manager and the provider. After the inspection we contacted a healthcare professional to ask for their feedback. We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included the individual care records for three people, medicine administration records (MAR), three staff records, quality assurance audits, incident reports and records relating to the management of the home. We observed care and support in the communal lounge and dining area during the day. We also spent time observing the lunchtime experience people had and the administering of medicines.

The service was last inspected in July 2014 and no areas of concern were noted.

Updated 2 July 2016

The inspection took place on 24 May 2016 and was unannounced.

Place Farm House provides accommodation for up to twenty older people, a majority of whom are living with dementia and who may need support with their personal care needs. On the day of our inspection there were fourteen people living at the home. The home is a large property situated in Patcham, East Sussex. It has a large communal lounge, dining conservatory and gardens.

It is a family run home managed by the provider and a manager. A registered provider is a ‘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.

People received their medicines on time and according to their preferences, from staff with the necessary training. There were safe systems in place for the storage and disposal of medicines. However, observations raised concerns about the dispensing and administering of some medicines. This is an area of practice in need of improvement.

People were protected from harm and abuse. There were sufficient quantities of appropriately skilled and experienced staff who had undertaken the necessary training to enable them to recognise concerns and respond appropriately. People’s freedom was not unnecessarily restricted and they were able to take risks in accordance with risk assessments that had been devised and implemented. One person told us “You can go where you like, no one tells you what to do”.

People were asked their consent before being supported and staff had a good awareness of legislative requirements in regard to making decisions on behalf of people who lacked capacity. People and their relatives, if appropriate, were fully involved in the planning and delivery of care and were able to make their wishes and preferences known. Care plans documented people’s needs and wishes and these were reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that they were current. Staff worked in accordance with people’s wishes and people were treated with respect and dignity. It was apparent that staff knew people’s needs and preferences well. Positive relationships had developed amongst people living at the home as well as with staff.

People’s health needs were assessed and met and they had access to medicines and healthcare professionals when required. One healthcare professional told us “They have excellent communication skills and will always phone me if there are any urgent concerns. I always find they are eager to help their residents and support them to their optimal well-being. They are extremely dedicated to their residents”. People had a positive dining experience and told us that they were happy with the quantity, quality and choice of food. People were also provided with snacks and drinks, of their choice, throughout the day.

The manager welcomed feedback and used this to drive improvements and change. People were complimentary about the leadership and management of the home. One person told us “You only have to ask once and it gets done”. A relative told us “The provider is a wonderful woman, so kind, she makes sure everything is done properly”. There were quality assurance processes in place to enable the manager to have oversight of the home and to ensure that people were receiving the quality of service they had a right to expect.