Newcastle

Updated 18 October 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in five ‘supported living’ settings so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The service had a manager who had applied to become a registered manager with CQC. A registered manager and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period of notice of the inspection because some of the people using the service could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

Inspection activity started on 5 September 2019 and ended on 23 September 2019. We spoke with staff on the 5 September 2019 by telephone and visited the office location on 23 September 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We visited three people at their homes. Due to the nature of their condition, some people were unable to communicate with us verbally and used different ways to communicate with us. We spoke with the nominated individual, manager, team leader and eight support workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the manager to validate the evidence we found. We looked at training data and contacted two relatives by telephone.

Updated 18 October 2019

About the service

‘Newcastle' provides care and support for people with a learning disability who live in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 12 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

There were systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. People appeared relaxed and comfortable with staff. There were enough staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Safe recruitment procedures were followed.

There was a positive approach to safety and risk which was not restrictive for people. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People had a choice and access to sufficient food and drink. Staff supported people to buy, prepare and cook healthy food for their well-being. People were supported to have access to a range of healthcare professionals to ensure they remained healthy.

People were treated with kindness. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People's care was developed around their wishes, preferences and goals. Staff had explored what opportunities were available within the local and wider community to promote inclusion and supported people to attend social events.

A range of audits and checks were carried out to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Action was taken if any issues or concerns were identified.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 17 August 2017). Since this rating was awarded, the service has moved premises. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on our inspection programme.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.