We inspected this service on 14 and 15 June 2017. Newland House provides personal care and accommodation for up to 30 people. On the day of our inspection 20 people were living at the service.At our last inspection in June 2015 the service was rated Good overall and Good in each of five domains. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good for being effective, caring and responsive. We however identified concerns around medicines, risk management and therefore the service was not consistently well-led.
Throughout our inspection the atmosphere at the service was open and friendly. Staff displayed a transparent and honest culture and they were committed to deliver good service to people.
There was a new manager in post who was registering with the Care Quality Commission to become the registered manager. 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.
People felt safe living at Newland House. People’s relatives told us they felt the service was safe. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in keeping people safe from harm and knew how to raise safeguarding concerns. People were supported by sufficient staff to keep them safe and the provider ensured safe recruitment practices were followed. Staff training was ongoing and the records confirmed staff received supervisions and probationary reviews.
Risks to people’s well-being such falls, mobility, malnutrition, moving and handling or skin damage were identified and recorded. We however found there was not always evidence available that people were protected from a risk of harm. We also found concerns around medicines management.
People and their relatives complimented the compassionate nature of staff. On the day of our inspection we saw examples of kind and caring interactions that demonstrated staff knew people well. People’s dignity, privacy and confidentiality were respected. People were offered a range of activities to join if they wished. There was a new activities co-ordinator in post and they planned to further enhance opportunities for people to enjoy meaningful activities.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and report on what we find. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported to maintain good health and access health professionals. Staff ensured people were encouraged to meet their nutritional needs and people complimented the food.
People were assessed prior to coming to live at Newland House. People’s care files gave details of the level of support required and people’s wishes and choices. The service responded to people’s changing needs. People and their families were involved in their care planning and reviews.
Provider used various audits to monitor the quality of the service. Whilst some of the audits were effective we found a lack of consistency in how well the service was led. The provider used learning from accidents and incidents to review their practices and to improve the experience for people. The management were open and acknowledged that there were areas that needed addressing. They welcomed our inspection and were open to our feedback. The new manager demonstrated commitment and enthusiasm to further improve the service.
We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.