Archived: SENSE - 3-4 Newton Court

Is the service caring?

Family members of people who used the service were very satisfied with the standard and quality of their relatives' support and care. They said that they found members of staff to be attentive to their relatives' individual and complex needs. Through our observations we found that members of staff were kind and respectful.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that people's individual physical and mental support, care and treatment needs were assessed and planned for. Their individual choices and preferences regarding their support and care were valued and respected. In addition, there was a system in place to respond to members of staff and family members' suggestions regarding the way people were supported and looked after.

We saw people's individual support and care needs were being met. Family members of people who used the service said that their relatives' health and social care needs were responded to very well.

Is the service safe?

The premises were maintained and safe for people to work, live and visit.

Family members of people who used the service were very satisfied with how their relatives' support and care needs were being met. They had confidence in staff members' capabilities to keep their relative safe.

There was a sufficient number of staff employed to consistently and safely support people who used the service. Staff members were trained to safely do their work.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards which applies to care services. While no applications have needed to be submitted, policies and procedures were in place. Work was in progress to review these in line with recently received guidance. Relevant staff had an increased level of knowledge to understand when an application should be made, and how to submit one.

Members of staff followed people's care plan guidance to make sure that people were kept safe from harm to themselves or other people,

Is the service effective?

Family members of people who used the service were satisfied with how they were actively consulted about their relatives' support, care and treatment.

Family members told us that they had noted that their relative had shown positive signs of wellbeing and notable improvements in their physical and mental health. They said that this was due to the effective way that they had been looked after.

Is the service well led?

Improvements had been made since out previous inspection, which we carried out on 05 June 2013. This was in respect of the auditing and actions taken to improve the standard and quality of the premises.

Staff said that were trained to safely do their job. They respected and valued people's individual and complex needs, which they were enabled to assist people with these.

Members of staff and relatives of people who used the service were provided with opportunities to share their views about the standard and quality of the service provision, and these were acted on, where needed.

An application to register the manager has been approved since our previous inspection of 05 June 2013. However, in this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time.

If you wish to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

During our visit of 08 May 2013 we reviewed five care plans that showed how people were fully included in discussions about how they had chosen to be assisted and what their goals for the future were. We looked at care plans that clearly explained how a person preferred to be supported.

We observed the manner of people living in the home when they were speaking with members of staff. During this visit people we saw were smiling, talking in a relaxed and confident way with staff and making decisions about their day. This showed us that people living in the home were confident and could discuss matters with staff.

Family members we spoke with all said that the home was really good and staff were wonderful and another person told us. 'It is a home from home'. We were also told, 'Staff could not do more than they do and they really know how to do things right'.

We saw forms that showed that a quality audit was regularly undertaken by the organisation to monitor the quality of the service that was being provided.

One relative who we spoke with told us that they thought the home was very good and that her daughter couldn't be in a better and more caring home.

People's care plans contained detailed care and health care information that any of the home's carers could use to safely and appropriately provide that person's care. Risks to people's health had been documented and these were reviewed on a regular basis.

We viewed the home's cleaning records which showed us where staff had completed cleaning of each area and the personal protective equipment they used. This ensured that risks of any potential infection were kept as low as practicable. We found that work surfaces, fridges, bathrooms and floor cleanliness had been cleaned.

Staff were supported through a system of regular and meaningful supervisions and received an annual appraisal which guided staff on areas where they were doing well and also where improvement was required.

From the records that we viewed we saw that the provider had completed all the statutory portable electrical equipment, moving and handling equipment and fire extinguisher inspections. We noted that the records were held securely and for the appropriate amount of time.