Newgate Lane

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider’s support plans, and risk assessments generally reflected people’s needs and preferences; however, these were not always updated or presented clearly enough to ensure staff could easily identify the most current information.

People’s care plans contained conflicting information about their needs. Information was added, with out-of-date information left, so care plans were unclear as to people’s current needs. Care plans were not fully reviewed based on new information or changes. This could result in support not being provided in line with the current needs of the individual.

Care plans included information about likes, dislikes and preferences.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

The provider worked in partnership with other professionals including advocacy. A professional told us, “The home appeared to be proactive in chasing up with other community services and interested in receiving guidance and information to support the outstanding needs for this gentleman.”

There was a regular staff team offering consistency of care and staff receive training according to the needs of the people using the service.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Support plans identified people’s communication needs and preferences. Information was provided in line with their individual needs. For example, a person had recently been diagnosed with dementia and the staff team had started a “my life so far” booklet detailing important information, history and memories so they were able to look back at their lives if their health deteriorates.

The provider supported people to share feedback and ideas through one-to-one discussions, or to raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. People told us that they did not know whether they had a support plan however there was evidence of these being reviewed with people and their loved ones.

Although service users could speak to staff, service user meetings had only just been introduced to seek views and involvement from people. People told us that they did not know whether they had a support plan.

Relatives knew how to raise any issues and felt that these were dealt with. The provider had a complaints policy. People were supported to access advocacy where required.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Staff supported people to overcome communication or mobility barriers to ensure they could attend and engage in healthcare appointments and supported them to follow up on advice or treatment plans. Specialised equipment was in place to enable people to attend appointments including hoists, wheelchairs and mobility vehicles. These processes supported people to stay healthy and receive timely care from professionals, reducing any barriers to access.

Suitable staffing levels to meet the needs of the people at the service were available. Staff had access to a 24 hours emergency on call system should they need additional support when managers were not available at the service.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff completed equality, diversity and inclusion training. The provider had an equality and diversity policy in place which referred to the protected characteristics and the Equality Act 2010 and highlighted health and social care principles of care.

We observed interactions where people received individualised care and where concerns were raised about some staff’s practice this was addressed by the registered manager.

People said the staff were nice and helped them with anything. A relative told us, “I have heard staff speaking to [name], asking [name] what she’d like to eat or whether she wants to go out, so [name] is always given a choice.”

People living at the service attended various activities including slimming clubs, bereavement groups, church, beauticians, local coffee shops, cinema and sensory groups. People also attended a weekly club for people with learning disabilities. The service had a vehicle which supported people to attend their chosen activities and be an active part of their local community.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

People’s end of life plans were person-centred and detailed people’s fears and preferences including their choice of music and clothes. One person who had recently moved in did not wish to discuss their end-of-life plan and this decision was respected and will be revisited with the person and their family at a later date.