Archived: Newton Lodge

Updated 14 February 2017

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 service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 5 January 2017. It was carried out by one inspector. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location was a small care home for people who are often out during the day. We needed to be sure that someone would be in and that the manager of the service would be available to meet us.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, statutory notifications (issues providers are legally required to notify us about), and other enquiries received from or about the service. The service was last inspected on 3 April 2014. At that time, the service was meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

During this inspection, we spoke with the person who lived at the home, the registered manager and two other members of care staff. Following the inspection, we telephoned the relative of a person who had limited verbal communication skills and stayed at Newton Lodge on a regular respite care basis.

We also reviewed two care plans and other records relevant to the running of the home. This included staffing and training records, medication records, and incident files.

Updated 14 February 2017

This inspection took place on 5 January 2017. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location was a small care home for people who are often out during the day. We needed to be sure that someone would be in and that the manager of the service would be available to meet us.

The service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to five adults. The service supports people with a learning or psychological difficulty and/or relatively low dependency physical or mental health needs. At the time of the inspection there was one person living at the home, who only required prompting and limited assistance from staff. Another person, with an autistic spectrum condition and limited speech, stayed at the home on a regular short break respite care basis. The service was considering down-sizing to a smaller family home and changing their Care Quality Commission registration to accommodate and support just two people to reflect the level of service they currently provided.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘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.

There was a friendly family atmosphere in the home and everyone appeared to get on well together. Feedback received from a relative of a person who previously lived at the home stated “I feel it is a family atmosphere. No recommendations for improvements, just keep doing what you do”.

The interactions we observed between people and staff were caring and respectful. From what we saw and heard it was clear the registered manager and staff were supportive of the people who used the service and wanted the best for them. A person who used the service said “They are very caring. I try to maintain my independence as much as I can; but here, everyone treats me well and they help me through down periods” and “I do feel safe here. The staff are there when I need them”.

People were supported to see their friends and relatives, access the local community and participate in a range of social and leisure activities of their choice on a regular basis. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and had choice and control over their daily routines. Staff respected and acted on the choices people made and sought input from relatives where people were unable to fully express their preferences. The service knew how to protect people’s rights if they lacked the mental capacity to make certain decisions about their care and welfare.

The service employed a small team of consistent staff who knew people’s individual needs and preferences well. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe. Staff received training and supervision to ensure they had the necessary knowledge and skills to provide the care and support needed. The person who lived in the home said “I can’t fault them at all”.

People, relatives and staff said the registered manager was very accessible and supportive. They said they could speak with the registered manager whenever they needed and they always received the help or advice they required.

The provider had a quality assurance system based mainly on personal contacts between the registered manager, people and their relatives. This was effective in maintaining a good and safe standard of care for people who used this small care service.

Systems were in place to ensure people who needed medicines received them safely. Checks were carried out to ensure the correct medicines were administered in the right doses and at the right times.