Boars Tye House

This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides an overview of Boars Tye Farm Residential Home following an inspection. The inspection focused on specific areas following concerns raised about safeguarding, safety, and medicine management. While the report highlights some positive aspects, it also identifies key areas requiring improvement to ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality care and resident safety. The findings aim to help families understand the current state of the service.

On safety, the home has systems to manage risks, but not all risks to people's wellbeing were consistently identified or adequately addressed. Some concerns were not reported to the appropriate bodies promptly. The management of residents' medicines also presented a risk, with instances of missed doses and incomplete record-keeping for when-required medication, and overdue competency assessments for staff administering medicines. While infection prevention and control measures were found to be robust and visitors were able to see their relatives, improvements are needed in personal emergency evacuation plans for fire safety.

In terms of how effective the care is, the home strives to support residents in making choices about their lives and treats them with dignity. Staff are generally supported with training and supervisions, though there is a need for more specialist training for complex care needs. While residents and their families generally feel safe and able to raise concerns, lessons learned from incidents are shared, though communication improvements are still needed.

Regarding caring, people using the service generally felt safe and well cared for. Relatives provided positive feedback about the staff's dedication. The home operates within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act, ensuring residents' autonomy and appropriate legal authorisations when needed. Equality and diversity are evident, contributing to a positive atmosphere.

In terms of how responsive the service is, there is a complaints procedure in place, and feedback is sought from residents, relatives, and staff. The home maintains partnerships with external health professionals like GPs and district nurses to ensure residents receive necessary support when needed.

On how well-led the service is, while the registered manager has experience, there were shortfalls in overall oversight. Systems in place failed to identify certain risks and issues, including missed medicines, and some incidents were not reported to CQC or the local authority in a timely manner. Although improvements are planned, the provider needs more effective arrangements for monitoring and improving the quality of the service.