Newton House

Newton House is a care home for 26 people with mental health needs and/or learning disabilities. The home provides services for people from the Asian communities. People are accommodated in one 20-bedded house and 2, 3 bedroomed houses. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people using the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Staffing levels were not sufficient. There was not enough staff deployed to meet the individual needs of people and to complete cleaning and laundry tasks. The provider took immediate action and increased staffing levels.

Staff received training, but gaps were identified in the training staff had completed. The induction did not support staff to follow the Care Certificate standards expected by providers. Staff had been recruited safely.

Risks associated with a person’s health condition and support needs lacked staff guidance. A concern was also identified in how a person’s prescribed medicine was being managed.

Infection prevention and control measures needed strengthening, to reduce the risks associated with cross contamination and the spread of infection.

The environment showed areas that needed improving upon. The management team had identified actions required and a plan was in place to address these.

Provider oversight and leadership did not include compliance visits to complete audits and checks. The provider had identified this as an area for improvement and was in the process appointing an external company to complete this.

Right Support: Overall, care plans provided staff with information about how to meet people’s individual needs and support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Right Care: Care staff knew people and what was important to them, including their routines and preferences. People spoke highly of the staff’ teams kind and caring approach. Social inclusion was promoted, enabling people to be a part of their local community. People’s communication, religious and cultural needs were supported and respected.

Right Culture: The culture of the service was positive. Staff shared the provider’s vision and values and people received support to achieve positive outcomes. People were positive about living at Newton House and felt safe and well cared for. People received opportunities to share their experience of the service they received.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 3 May 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Newton House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We have identified 3 breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, staff training and support and the governance at this inspection.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Newton House is an care home for 26 people with mental health needs and/or learning disabilities. The home provides services for people from the Asian communities. People are accommodated in one 20-bedded house and two three-bedroomed houses. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ People told us they were safe at the home. A person said, “Everybody here is kind to me and looks after me and that makes me feel safe.” Staff knew how to protect people from harm.

¿ The home was well-staffed and extra staff were put on duty if people needed more support. People were involved in recruiting new staff and their views listened to.

¿ The home was clean and tidy. People said this was always the case and they praised the cleaning staff for their hard work.

¿ People and relatives said the home provided good food. A person said, “The food is very nice and there is variety. Every day we have lamb or chicken or fish and lots of other dishes."

¿ People’s medical needs were met. The home had a regular GP who knew people well. If people needed specialist healthcare, staff referred them to the relevant professionals.

¿ The staff were caring and kind. A person told us, “This is a caring home and all the staff are good.” The person then turned to the registered manager and gave them a hug to show their appreciation of them.

¿ Staff valued people, respected their religious beliefs, and celebrated important events in their lives, for example, their birthdays, Eid, Diwali, Christmas, and New Year.

¿ Staff provided personalised care and people were encouraged to lead active lives. People attended colleges and places of worship, shopped with staff, and went to the cinema and local restaurants.

¿ The home had a welcoming and friendly atmosphere and people said they felt part of a family living there. The managers and staff consulted with people daily about their care and sought their views on the running of the home.

¿ The provider and registered manager carried out quality checks to ensure the home was running well. They identified areas for improvement and acted to address these.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection we rated this service Good (report published on 27 September 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

Newton House is an Asian life style care home for 26 people with mental health needs and/or learning disabilities. People are accommodated in one 20-bedded house and two three-bedroomed houses in close proximity. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service.

The service did not have a registered manager. 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. An experienced manager was in post and was in the process of applying to the Care Quality Commission for registration.

The service had a warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere. People were encouraged to determine their own lifestyles and maintain the level of independence they felt happy with. The manager and staff were non-judgemental, kind and caring. They valued the people they supported, treated them with respect, and took an interest in their lives.

All the people we spoke with said they felt safe using the service. Staff were trained in safeguarding (protecting people who use care services from abuse) and knew who to report concerns to. Staff were aware if people were at risk in any areas of their lives. They managed risky situation well and knew how to keep people safe.

There were enough staff on duty to keep people safe and meet their needs. Staff had time to interact and socialise with people as well as providing practical care and support. If people needed intensive support extra staff were provided to keep them safe. Medicines were stored safely and records showed they were given as prescribed.

People and relatives told us they liked the staff and thought they were good at their jobs. Staff were well-trained and knowledgeable about the people they supported. They understood the importance of ensuring people were involved in making decisions about their lives.

All the people we spoke with said they enjoyed the food. Mealtimes were a sociable occasion and the food served was nutritious and made from fresh ingredients. Staff catered for a range of dietary needs and cultural and other preferences. Both meat and vegetarian dishes were served and diabetic options available.

People had the opportunity to take part in group and individual activities of their choice. They told us they enjoyed weekly yoga classes, trips out, and visiting entertainers. Some people said they liked helping out in the kitchen, going swimming, and watching films at a nearby Asian cinema

People told us that if they had any concerns about the care and support they received they would speak up. They said the manager and staff listened to them. They told us they were encouraged to share their views about the service at residents meeting and in private so changes and improvements could be made if necessary.

All the people and relatives we spoke with said they knew the manager and could talk to him whenever they liked. Staff told us the manager treated the people using the service like family. They also said that they felt supported by the manager and the provider and had opportunities, for example at staff meetings, to share their views about the service.

Senior staff completed weekly, monthly and annual audits of all aspects of the service to help ensure good quality care was being provided. The provider sent out annual questionnaires to people using the service, their relatives, and health and social care professionals. The results of the most recent survey showed a high level of satisfaction with the service.

We saw that people were happy with how they were treated and that they felt settled in the home. Family members we spoke with told us, 'I am quite happy with the home'. And 'X has settled here and thinks of it as his home.'

People who lived at the home told us, 'I have a nice orderly room.'

We looked at how staff were supported in their roles and found that regular supervision and training was provided, with support given to obtain additional qualifications.

We saw that any comments or complaints were managed in accordance with appropriate policies and procedures.

We also reviewed how the home dealt with information and records of the people who lived at the home and of the staff members. We found that the Provider had clear polices and procedures in place and information was used and stored securely.

Some people were able to do things for themselves and the staff encouraged independence, taking into account appropriate risk assessments. A person who lived in the home told us, 'I am cared for very well.'

At the time of our visit the provider was cooperating with a Leicester City Council investigation into concerns, which had been identified by a family member, about the care of a person who lives at the home.