Archived: HF Trust - Newcroft

Updated 5 March 2019

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 was a comprehensive inspection, carried out by two inspectors. The inspection took place on 9 January 2019 and was announced to the registered manager on the 8 January 2019. We gave the home 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it was possible that people living there might be out of the home accessing activities (such as day services) or the local community and we needed to be sure that they would be in during our inspection.

Prior to the inspection we looked at the information we had about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, tells us what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make.

During our inspection we spoke with three people living at HFT Newcroft. We observed the care and support being provided. We spoke with the registered manager and two members of staff. We reviewed feedback records given to us by the provider and received direct feedback from one relative. We looked at the care records for three people, including their medicines records. We looked at staff records, training records and quality assurance systems.

Updated 5 March 2019

HFT Newcroft is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

HFT Newcroft can accommodate up to four people who have a learning disability or autism. At the time of our inspection there were three people living there.

People had their own bedrooms with access to a shared bathroom, lounge, kitchen and dining area. Grounds around the property were accessible.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. This was particularly visible in the outstanding support people had received to develop their 'capable environments'. 'Capable environments' are characterised by; positive social interactions, support for meaningful activity, opportunities for choice, encouragement of greater independence and support to establish and maintain relationships.

This inspection took place on 9 January 2019. At the last comprehensive inspection in May 2016 the service was rated as Good in all key questions and overall. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good. The key question ‘Is the service Responsive?’ had improved to Outstanding.

A registered manager was in post who had been registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2010. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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 received an exceptionally responsive service. People were empowered to develop their independence and involvement in the local community. Information was presented to people creatively in an accessible format to support them to make meaningful decisions. The registered manager had developed local opportunities for people to be involved in the provider’s feedback forums when they could not always travel to regional meetings.

The provider's vision and values were person-centred to make sure people were at the heart of the service. This vision was driven by the registered manager and management team. People had many opportunities to take part in as many interests as they chose. The service showed a real ‘can do’ attitude.

People’s care and support was individualised and reflected their needs and wishes. They had lived together for some time and had been supported by a core group of staff providing them with consistency and continuity of care. There were enough staff to meet their needs. This was kept under review as new people moved into the home. Staff recruitment and selection procedures were in place to ensure all necessary checks had been completed prior to employment.

People’s care and support was individualised and reflected their needs and wishes. They had lived together for some time and had been supported by a core group of staff providing them with consistency and continuity of care. People made choices about their day to day lives.

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 involved in the planning and review of their care and support. They chose the activities they wished to take part in. They went into to the town centre shopping, to local day services, to the train station and were attending a pantomime the day following our inspection. They went on day trips, to social clubs and attended local places of worship when they wished to. People kept in touch with those important to them through supported telephone calls or weekly visits.

People’s preferred forms of communication were highlighted in their care records. Staff were observed spending time chatting and socialising with people. Good use was made of easy to read information which used photographs and pictures to illustrate the text. People had access to easy to read guides about advocacy and complaints. Documentation to support decision making and best interest decisions were in picture and large font formats to support people to make their own decisions wherever possible.

People’s health and wellbeing was promoted. A weekly menu encouraged people to have vegetables and fruit in their diet and people helped to prepare and cook their meals. People had access to a range of health care professionals. They had annual health checks.

People’s medicines were safely managed. Staff knew how to keep people safe and how to raise safeguarding concerns. Risks were well managed encouraging people’s independence

People, their relatives and staff were invited to give feedback through quality assurance surveys, meetings, complaints and compliments. People and their relatives had information about how to raise a complaint. The registered manager and provider completed a range of on-line quality assurance audits to monitor and assess people’s experience of the service. Any actions identified for improvement were monitored to ensure they had been carried out. The registered manager worked closely with local organisations and agencies and national organisations to keep up to date with current best practice and guidance. Comments about HFT Newcroft from people who use the service included, “It’s very nice here” and “I like all the staff."