27 October 2022
During an inspection looking at part of the service
About the service
Honeysuckle Farm is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 15 people. The service specialises in providing support to people with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The accommodation is on two floors with a passenger lift and stairs for access. At the time of or inspection 15 people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
People using the service had a good quality of life. They told us they were happy at the service and enjoyed the many activities provided. Relatives made positive comments about the service including: ‘an outstanding home'; 'a happy atmosphere which evokes a sense of family and respect for others ‘; and 'The home is always clean, smells fresh, and is warm, and safe.' People were pleased to show us their personalised bedrooms and introduce us to their range of pets including a dog and some newly hatched baby ducklings. The service had its own day centre and full-time activities co-ordinator who worked with people to ensure they had lots to do at the service and in the community. 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.
Right Care
The registered manager and staff ensured people had excellent access to healthcare services. A relative said, “[People's] needs are met to ensure they can live to their full potential physically, mentally, emotionally. medically and socially.” A visiting healthcare professional said staff knew people’s healthcare needs extremely well and this led to good outcomes regarding their health and wellbeing. Care plans were personalised, and people’s rooms decorated to suit their individual preferences. Staff were caring and dedicated to the people they supported. A relative said, “Staff work exceedingly hard [and] really care about the residents and go out of their way to keep them safe, healthy and happy.”
Right culture
Some improvements were needed to record keeping to ensure the records reflected the good-quality care and support provided. The culture of the service was warm and caring and the registered manager and staff valued the people they supported and knew them well. A staff member said, “When we go shopping the [registered] manager even knows all their [people’s] shoe sizes.” People, relatives, and visiting health and social care professionals made many positive comments about the registered manager and her commitment to the people using the service. A healthcare professional said the registered manager was 'friendly and approachable' and praised their ‘excellent leadership’.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was good (report published on 11 March 2021).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s safety and staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks and to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.
We also looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe and Well-led key questions. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
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.