Dale Care - Newcastle (Extra Care/Homecare)

Updated 4 September 2025

Date of Assessment: 8 October to 30 October 2025. The inspection took place remotely.

Dale Care Newcastle is a care at home service providing support to older people and younger adults, including people who may live with dementia, mental health, sensory impairment, eating disorder or physical disability needs. It also provides an extra care housing service which can support up to 38 people, at the time of inspection 35 people were living in the extra care scheme. People using this service owned or rented their own flat within a large building, or in a bungalow within the grounds of the main building. Within the care at home service 109 people were receiving homecare and of those 74 people were receiving the regulated activity personal care. Not everyone using the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission only inspects where people receive personal care.

This was the first rated inspection of the service. A registered manager was in place. The registered manager was registered with the Commission and was legally responsible for ensuring the service was compliant with legal and regulatory requirements.

Staff spoke very positively about working at the service and the people they cared for. Staff knew the care and support needs of people they supported. Care records were in place that reflected the person-centred care provided by staff. People received effective care and were supported to ensure their health care needs were met. People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. People were supported to take risks to improve their quality of life. Systems were in place to protect people and ensure their safety. Medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff with the necessary skills, qualifications and experience. The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. The registered manager investigated incidents thoroughly. Staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Staff and leaders demonstrated a listening culture and were open to learning and improvements.

Updated 4 September 2025

We received positive comments from people, relatives and staff. Relatives and people told us staff were kind and caring, they were patient and treated people as individuals. Their comments included, “Very kind and caring staff”, “Some staff go the extra mile, I have some nice relationships with them and look forward to their visits”, “Staff are fantastic, they have made a difference in lots of ways, practically and socially” and “I could not ask for anything better, I am very happy with the service.” Relatives, people and staff were positive about the open culture of the service, they all said they were listened to, had opportunities to give feedback and any concerns were addressed. Their comments included, “Any issues are dealt with quickly” and “The manager is accessible, friendly and we have their number, they are very pro-active.” Relatives and staff said communication was effective. A relative commented, “When I phone the office, I always manage to speak to someone straight away.” Relatives and people told us staff were trained, and they received consistent care from staff they knew. Their comments included, “I see the same faces”, “Consistency with the same staff is very good”, “People know the staff” and “Staff are trained to understand [Name]’s complex needs.”