CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Homeleigh Farm
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, safer recruitment procedures, suitable medicines management and regular fire and equipment checks. Individual risks were assessed and reviewed.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had induction, regular training and support. People's health was monitored, dietary needs were considered, and staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind, patient and respectful. People had privacy, were involved in everyday choices and were supported to keep contact with family and friends.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed and personalised. People were offered daily activities, support in the community and help to develop independence. A complaints process was available.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had a settled management and staff team. Audits and feedback systems were in place, and inspectors found that earlier concerns about quality monitoring had been addressed.
What inspectors found, March 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some bathrooms still needing improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 6 February 2017. One inspector spent time with all the people living there, observed care, and spoke with staff, the manager and two social care professionals. Records on care, medicines, staffing, training, incidents and quality checks were also reviewed.
Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe recruitment, suitable medicines systems and good safety checks. People were treated kindly and respectfully. Staff knew people well, supported their health and helped them develop independence at a pace that suited them.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The previous inspection had found problems with health information, recruitment and quality checks. Inspectors found that the improvements promised by the provider had been put in place.
Staffing and recruitment
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Recruitment checks were completed before staff started work.
“There were enough staff available to support people.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's histories, preferences, communication needs and goals. Staff supported people to build skills at a pace that suited them.
“People were involved as much as they wanted to be in developing and updating their care plans” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People's privacy and dignity were respected. Staff listened, showed patience and supported people to make everyday choices.
“Staff demonstrated kindness and patience, they took time to listen and interact with people so that they received the support they needed.” from the report
Improvements since the last inspection
The provider had acted on the previous inspection findings about health information, recruitment and quality monitoring. Inspectors found that the promised improvements had been made.
“This inspection found that the provider had implemented all the improvements they had told us about.” from the report
Bathrooms needed upgrading
minorThe home was clean and well maintained overall, but inspectors noted that the bathrooms and toilets needed improvement. A maintenance programme was in place.
“Bathrooms and toilets were in need of upgrading and a maintenance programme was in place to address this.” from the report
Move-on support
needs fixingOne social care professional felt the home had not been proactive enough in helping a person move to greater independence. The manager said people should move when they were ready and that this depended partly on funding authorities.
“they thought for the person they represented the service had not been sufficiently proactive in moving them on when they had had the skills to live more independently.” from the report
Unrecorded spot checks
minorThe manager carried out occasional unannounced checks, but did not record what was found. Other quality checks and audits were in place.
“The registered manager also undertook occasional spot checks of the service but did not record findings from these.” from the report
- 01What progress has been made with upgrading the bathrooms and toilets?
- 02How are people's independence goals reviewed, and how do you support someone who wants to move to a more independent home?
- 03How do you record and act on findings from the manager's occasional spot checks?
- 04How many staff are normally on duty during the day, at night and when someone is ill or on leave?
- 05How do you support people who need staff accompaniment in the community, and how are any restrictions kept as limited as possible?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five questions, and all five ratings were Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 15 March 2017 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Homeleigh Farm
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2017Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 January 2012.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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39 live-in carers within about an hour of Kent
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 33 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“Always on time and with a lovely smile for my mum. Theresa is kind and sensitive to my mum's needs.”
“Irene was a very kind and empathetic carer who knew just the right words to say to put a smile on my face.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.