The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Caring Hands (Wiltshire)

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Battle Lake Farm, Braydon, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 0AA (01793) 772777

Provided and run by:
Mrs Vicki Ann Fowler

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 23 and 24 January 2025. The service is a care home providing support to older people, including those living with dementia. This assessment was carried out because of the time since the service was last rated. The service was exceptionally caring, and people were always treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. The provider supported staff wellbeing. People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. People were supported to eat and drink what they enjoyed and to stay healthy. Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving between services. They monitored people’s health to support healthy living. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. People were involved in decisions about their care. Staff provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the provider took it seriously and acted on it. The provider supported people to access services they needed and worked to eliminate discrimination. People received fair and equal care and treatment. Staff worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback. People and relatives were involved in planning their care. Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on a person-centred approach to meeting people’s needs. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment.

15 February 2018

During a routine inspection

Caring Hands (Wiltshire) is a small care home for up to seven people. At the time of our inspection five people were resident at the service. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The registered provider is an individual who is in day to day charge of the home and was present throughout the inspection. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act and associated regulations about how the service is run.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

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At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to protect people from avoidable harm and abuse. Care plans contained risk assessments and in the majority of cases when risks were identified, the plans informed staff how to reduce them. People said they felt safe living at the service.

People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff were well trained and said they felt supported. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People spoke highly of the staff. We saw and heard many positive interactions between staff and people.

Care plans were personalised. People had access to a range of activities.

There was an open positive culture and the vision and values of the service were embedded. People spoke highly of the provider. Quality assurance was monitored; however, there was limited documentary evidence of this.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

26 January 2016

During a routine inspection

Caring Hands (Wiltshire) is a small care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to seven older people. At the time of our inspection six people were resident at the service.

This inspection took place on 26 January 2016 and was unannounced.

The registered provider is an individual who is in day to day charge of the home and was present throughout the inspection. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People who use the service and their relatives were positive about the care they received and praised the quality of the staff and management. Comments from people included, “ I’m very happy. You couldn’t get any better”, “They look after us very well” and “The staff know my particular needs very well. They understand what I need and how to provide care for me”.

People told us they felt safe when receiving care and were involved in developing and reviewing their care plans. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse and harm and staff knew how to use them.

Staff understood the needs of the people they were providing care for. People told us staff provided care with kindness and compassion.

Staff were appropriately trained and skilled. They received a thorough induction when they started working for the service. They demonstrated a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities, as well as the values and philosophy of the service. The staff had completed training to ensure the care and support provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. People had regular group and individual meetings to provide feedback and there were clear complaints procedures.

The provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care provided. The service encouraged feedback from people and their relatives, which they used to make improvements.

3 December 2013

During a routine inspection

We visited Caring Hands (Wiltshire) and spoke with all of the people who used the service and some of their relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and a member of the care staff.

One person who used the service said, 'Everything seems to run smoothly; things get sorted out'.

Another person told us, "They're very good; they tell me what's going on'.

We spoke to family members who said that they were always made to feel very welcome and that they were kept very well informed. They said the care provided was 'like home from home; it's wonderful'.

We found that people were respected and involved in the planning of their care and the running of the home.

We observed that people were helped to go out and to participate in chosen activities.

Staff members told us that they had good relationships and support from the management team.

We could see that staff knew the people who lived at Caring Hands (Wiltshire) very well and could tell us their needs.

There were enough staff members on duty in order to meet people's needs and to keep them safe.

The provider had good systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of its service provision.

29 January 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with one person who told us that they had information about their care. They said that they had been involved in developing their care plan and had signed it to show they consented to the care and support. The person said that they were encouraged to be independent where they could. They told us that they were taken out into the community for example to the shops.

The person said that their privacy and dignity were respected and they could spend time in their own accommodation as they chose. They said that care was provided in private. The person told us that they could give their views about the service. They said that they were very satisfied with the service and they enjoyed their stays on the farm.

People were supported to make decisions about their care and their day-to-day lives. There were safeguarding procedures and the provider had received training so that people were protected from abuse. The provider had also received a range of training and was working towards a qualification so that they had the right skills to meet people's needs.

People and their representatives were asked their views about the service and these were listened to and acted upon. There was a system to monitor the quality of the service that people received and to make improvements when needed.