- Care home
New House
Assessment report published 15 July 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
About the service
New House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 8 people. At the time of the inspection 8 people were living at the service.
Who the service is for
This is a specialist service for people with a learning disability and autistic people. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance. We followed this to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The service is working in line with this guidance.
Key findings
We carried out this assessment on 11 June to 25 June 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
People received person-centred care from staff who knew them well. Staff took time to understand people’s individual communication needs, helping them recognise people’s wishes and preferences.
Senior staff provided daily support and oversight to help maintain good-quality care. They took a proactive approach to reviewing safety and contributed to care and quality reviews to uphold standards. Staff felt supported in their roles and knew they could seek help when needed.
A culture of kindness and respect was promoted in the service. Staff spoke fondly of the people they supported and described how they would advocate for them if needed. One staff member said, “We think about the person and act in their best interests. We always work for [people] and always ask them, it’s all about them.” Another staff member said, “We make sure people have the same opportunities we would get.”
Systems were in place to safeguard people from harm, and staff understood how to recognise and report concerns. Processes for reporting accidents and incidents were established and used to monitor safety.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS authorisations within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the MCA principles. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.
Care plans reflected people’s needs and were regularly reviewed, people had key workers who would discuss their care and support needs with them. Staff monitored people’s health and wellbeing appropriately, and referrals were made when needed. Good relationships had been built with other professionals in the areas and staff sought advice when they had concerns about people’s health. Medication was managed safely in the service. Staff were trained to manage medicines and did so safely. Competency checks were in place to help ensure safe care.
People were supported to eat and drink well, and staff knew how to modify people’s meals safely. This formed a part of staff training and guidance was clear and accessible to ensure people were not put at risk. Improvements in the dining experience were planned to help ensure people were given as much choice and control as possible.
Leaders were visible in the service and seniors worked hard to provide daily oversight. Feedback from people, relatives and staff was actively sought and used to make improvements.
Governance systems were in place however; improvements were needed to ensure all areas of the service had sufficient review and that all checks taking place were fully recorded and effective. Seniors had good oversight of the service and were completing daily quality and safety checks. However, these were either informal or not consistently recorded. Seniors reacted quickly to feedback during the inspection and worked to implement new recording processes to help evidence their oversight.
The provider had recently introduced and developed new auditing tools however, some of these contained limited data or had not yet been used by the service. Due to this, more time was needed to embed new practice and to ensure their effectiveness in supporting the service evidencing robust oversight of safety and quality.
Overall, the service demonstrated significant progress and a clear commitment to continuous improvement. While some systems required further embedding and strengthening, people were receiving safe, person-centred care from a caring and responsive staff team. Leaders were taking appropriate action to address areas identified for improvement.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives were positive about the care and support provided at the service. Feedback from families indicated they felt their relatives were safe and well cared for. One relative said, “I am 100% happy with the service and I wouldn’t want (relative) to move. I would give it 10 out of 10.” Another told us, “They keep me informed of appointments and there seems to be enough staff when I go and they are all well-trained.”
During the inspection, we observed people who appeared comfortable in their homes and spoke fondly of staff. Staff interacted with people in a kind, respectful and patient way, and took time to understand their individual needs. One staff member said, “Our mission is to make sure people have a good life. It is their homes and it is a privilege to work in them.”
People were supported by a staffing team that was flexible and responsive to their needs. There were enough staff available to support people to take part in activities. People were observed enjoying activities such as karaoke and sensory sessions, which helped to support engagement and wellbeing.
We observed the mealtime experience and saw people were offered food that looked appetising and was enjoyed. One person said, “I like the food, I like it here.”
Staff were knowledgeable about people’s dietary requirements and understood how to modify people’s meals to keep them safe. However, we observed it was not always clear staff asked people their preferences when serving food. Feedback was taken on board during the inspection and the service planned to review and improve this.
Families told us staff had a good understanding of their relatives, which contributed to positive experiences and outcomes.
The service sought feedback from people, families and staff, and there was evidence that comments had been listened to and acted upon to make improvements. This showed people were involved in shaping the service and that their views were valued.
Staff told us they enjoyed working for the service and they had good support from seniors and from the registered manager. Staff worked well as a team and were proud of the support they offered. One staff member said, “It is a really nice place to work. The managers are nice and approachable; we can go and ask them about anything.”
Overall, people experienced care from a kind and committed staff team who supported them to feel safe and comfortable. One staff member told us, “The residents do come first.”