All inspections: The Newlyn Residential Home

The Newlyn is a care home for older people who require residential care. It is registered for 13 people. The service provides residential accommodation and communal areas over three floors. Some of the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms, with shared bathrooms and toilets for the rest of the rooms. The service is located in a residential area near Ramsgate. On the day of our inspection there were 13 people living in the service.

The service is run by the registered provider with a deputy manager. Both were present on the days of our inspection. The registered provider is a ‘registered person’ who has legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Risks to people’s safety were identified and managed appropriately. Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse. Recruitment processes were in place to check that staff were of good character. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff with the right mix of skills, knowledge and experience. There was a training programme in place to make sure staff had the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles.

The provider and staff understood how the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 was applied to ensure decisions made for people without capacity were only made where this was in their best interests. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The provider and deputy manager were aware of a recent Supreme Court Judgement which widened and clarified the definition of a deprivation of liberty.

People and their relatives were happy with the standard of care at the service. People were involved with the planning of their care. People’s needs were assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual care needs. Staff were kind, caring and compassionate and knew people well.

People were provided with a choice of healthy food and drinks which ensured that their nutritional needs were met. People’s physical health was monitored and people were supported to see healthcare professionals. People were supported to take their medicines safely.

The design and layout of the building met people’s needs and was safe. The atmosphere was calm, happy and relaxed. The risk of social isolation was reduced because staff supported people to keep occupied with a range of activities which included music sessions and quizzes.

Staff told us that there was an open culture and that they felt supported by the provider and the deputy manager.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. The provider had submitted notifications to CQC in a timely manner and in line with CQC guidelines.

We spoke with people who used the service, relatives and staff at the home. People told us "There's nowhere else I'd rather be", and "The staff are very supportive here". People told us and we saw that they could bring their own furniture and possessions for their rooms and we saw that one person had their own fridge as they preferred cold drinks and fresh fruit in the evening.

We saw that care plans had been written and regularly reviewed based on people's individual assessments of their needs and contained detailed information. We saw evidence of monitoring and regular evaluations of the support that was provided, together with involvement and liaison with relatives and various health professionals, to ensure they were kept informed of changes in people's conditions when necessary.

We found that the provider had implemented ways to gather feedback on the service from people, as well as informal discussions with people about how to improve the service.

We spoke with two people and two staff members during the inspection. People told us that they found the home to be clean, and that staff wore protective equipment such as aprons and gloves when giving personal care. One person told us "Staff always wash their hands and use alcohol gel", and another person said "I always get my medicines on time; I've never had any problems here".

We found that records of medicine administration were accurate and up to date, with no unexplained gaps. We found that staff wore aprons and gloves when delivering personal care to all people at the home, and barrier nursing was also enforced where people were suspected to have infections.

Staff members told us that they had received training in infection control and administration of medicines, and we saw policies and training records which confirmed this.

We spoke with five people, including one relative, out of 12 at the home at the time of the inspection.

People told us that they were happy at the home. One person said 'There's nowhere else I'd rather be'. Another person told us 'Staff are excellent and willing to do anything for you'.

All the people we spoke with told us that staff regularly asked them if they were happy with the care and support they received, and one person told us that she 'had no complaints whatsoever, because standards here are immaculate'.

We observed staff talking with people in a polite and relaxed manner, and found that staff addressed each person they spoke with by name.

We reviewed four out of 12 care plans at the home, and found that they contained personalised assessments and care interventions, which allowed staff to provide individualised care and support for each person. We spoke with staff and found that they had received relevant training, were knowledgeable about the needs of the people at the home, and referred to the care plans to ensure they supported each person safely and appropriately.

People told us that the home was lovely and that they liked the staff. One person said she felt well looked after at the home. People also told us that the food at the home was excellent and that they always had everything they wanted.

People told us that the care home felt 'like a home from home', and that they had no complaints.

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Archived: The Newlyn Residential Home

All Inspections

05 and 09 February 2015

During a routine inspection

15 August 2013

During a routine inspection

20 December 2012

During an inspection in response to concerns

8 November 2012

During a routine inspection

9 February 2012

During a routine inspection

Reports under our old system of regulation