Archived: Newnham Green

Updated 2 November 2016

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 inspection took place on 28 July 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location was a small service and people were often out during the day. We wanted to ensure that staff and people using the service would be available for us to speak with. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. This included a Provider Information Return (PIR) completed by the provider and returned to us in June 2016. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at previous information received from the service and statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We contacted a care commissioner (who funds the care for people) of the service, the local authority safeguarding team and quality monitoring team to obtain their views of the service provided.

People who used the service were unable to verbally tell us their views of care provided at Newnham Green. However, we made observations of the interactions between people and staff during our visit to better understand people’s experiences of living in the home. We spoke with two relatives of people who lived in the home, two members of staff, the registered manager who owned the service and the co-owner.

We reviewed four people’s care records and medicines administration record (MAR) charts. We viewed three staff recruitment files as well as training and induction records. We also reviewed a range of management documentation monitoring the quality of the service.

Updated 2 November 2016

Newnham Green provides care and support for up to six people with learning disabilities. On the day of our inspection four people were living in the home.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. 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 were supported by staff who understood safeguarding procedures and were able to recognise the signs of potential abuse.

Risks to people had been thoroughly assessed and plans put in place to manage these risks while enabling people to live their lives without unnecessary restriction.

Robust recruitment procedures had been employed to ensure that staff were suitable to work with people who used the service. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Staff received comprehensive training to enable them to meet people’s needs.

People were given support to take their medicines as prescribed. Their nutritional needs were met and they were supported to access healthcare if they needed it.

People were supported by staff who showed respect and cared for them as individuals whilst maintaining their dignity. People were encouraged to make their own decisions where possible and their consent was sought appropriately.

People and those important to them were involved in planning their care, how it was delivered and their independence was promoted as far as possible. People’s care was delivered in the way they wished by staff who were knowledgeable about their needs.

People who used the service and staff who supported them were able to express their views on the service. People were supported to make complaints and were confident that these would be heard and acted upon. The service maintained good communication with people who used the service and their families.

The management team maintained a good overview of the service and had systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service. Staff were supported by the management team and felt valued by the provider.