We carried out a review of the data available to us about New Beginnings North East Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about New Beginnings North East Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
When we last inspected the service in December 2015, we found the provider was meeting legal requirements and rated the service as Good. At this inspection in March 2018, we have rated the service as Outstanding.
New Beginnings North East Ltd provides care and support to people with learning disabilities living in 'supported living' settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. At the time of this inspection, the service provided care to 76 people.
Not everyone using New Beginnings North East Ltd receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
Two registered managers were in place. 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.
New Beginnings North East Ltd has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
The provider, registered managers and staff put people at the forefront of everything they did. The provider created an ethos and culture of individualised and person-centred care. People’s rights were championed and they were supported to live full and enriched lives. People were as independent as they could be. A positive approach to risks enabled people to live more fulfilled lives. The reduction of staff input to people’s individual care was carefully planned.
The provider understood the value of community. They supported people to be active members of their local area. Staff valued people, their skills and the contributions they made. People were supported to volunteer for charitable organisations. Staff had helped people to find roles which matched their interests. Staff celebrated people’s achievements and displayed passion when talking about the goals people had worked towards.
Staff went ‘the extra mile’ to enable people to live fulfilling lives. Staff changed their working patterns to support people to go to rave music events and rock clubs until the early hours in the morning.
People we spoke with told us they would not hesitate in sharing any concerns. Complaints were well managed, and had been investigated and responded to. The registered managers acknowledged the value to the service from any complaint as an opportunity to improve their service.
There was a strong, visible person-centred culture. People were supported by a core staff team who provided consistent care. Staff knew people very well. People were involved in the recruitment process, and selected their staff teams based on their personalities and common interests.
People were very comfortable with their support staff. One relative told us the service had ‘transformed’ their family member so they were no longer unhappy.
The provider set a culture of openness and transparency. They built reflection, and opportunities to identify lessons learned, into all of their managerial records. They strived towards continuous improvement and kept a log of all shared learning opportunities where changes had been made to working practice following feedback from people, relatives, staff and other services.
The provider set high expectations for the service and had a robust quality assurance system to ensure standards were met. Thorough checks were carried out regularly of staff performance. Annual home inspections were in depth. Action plans to address areas for improvement had been monitored and completed.
People and relatives spoke very highly of all aspects of the service. They told us they felt safe with staff employed by the service. Some people who used the service, at times, displayed behaviours which could pose a risk to themselves other others. Support plans communicated known triggers, and how staff should support people to reduce the likelihood of people feeling anxious or aggressive.
People's medicines were well managed. The service was taking part in a project to reduce the use of medicines which affected people’s mood. Staff followed processes to minimise the spread of infection.
Staff had undertaken training in a range of subjects, related to care, safety and the values of the service to enable them to deliver care to the high standards expected. Staff skills were assessed to determine if they were competent to deliver the task safely.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The inspection took place on 22, 24 and 28 September 2015 and was announced. We had last inspected New Beginnings North East Ltd in December 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting the legal requirements in force at the time.
New Beginnings North East Ltd provides personal care and support to people with learning disabilities, some of whom have complex needs. At the time of our inspection services were provided to 67 people who lived in their own homes, either alone or with families, or in shared houses with support.
The service had 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.
We found that care was appropriately planned to protect people’s welfare and keep them safe from harm. The staff understood their roles in preventing risks and safeguarding people from being abused. However, whilst safeguarding concerns had been reported to the local safeguarding authority, the service had not notified the Care Quality Commission of all incidents that had occurred.
There was a thorough recruitment procedure to ensure new staff were properly checked and vetted before they began working with people. Sufficient staff were employed to enable people to have safe and consistent care. Staff were given suitable training and support to equip them with the necessary skills to meet people’s needs.
People were supported in taking their medicines safely and to access health care services and stay healthy. Staff assisted people in meeting their nutritional needs including, where necessary, support with special diets and with eating and drinking.
People and their families were involved in and agreed to the care and support provided. When needed, formal processes were followed to uphold the rights of people who were unable to consent to their care. Legal arrangements had been made for some people to ensure they received the care they required.
A person centred approach was taken in planning and delivering people’s care. Care plans were very personalised to the individual’s needs and preferences and were kept under regular review. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and engaged in a range of activities to develop their skills and meet their social needs.
There were good relationships between people and the staff who cared for them. People’s views about their care were sought and there were opportunities for them to influence the service they received. Commissioners spoke highly of the staff and managers and said they provided a caring and effective service. Systems were in place for managing complaints and obtaining people’s feedback about the service.
There was a clear management structure that provided staff with good leadership and support. However, the service’s policies and procedures did not always provide staff with clear guidance on current best practice. People’s care experiences and the quality of the service were actively monitored and a number of developments were planned to continue to improve the service.
People were given all the information they needed to make an informed decision about their care and were asked to provide their consent to such care.
People were cared for effectively and care was planned for the individual.
The provider had effective systems in place to manage medicines.
There was an effective and safe recruitment process in place.
The provider had a good system in place to monitor the quality and performance of the organisation.
There was an effective system in place to record and monitor complaints. Complaints were taken seriously and responded to appropriately.
We saw people were cared for effectively and care was planned for the individual. We saw the provider had effective systems in place to provide care and promote people's welfare. We saw there were effective emergency procedures in place. We saw people were safe.
People who used the service were positive about the care they received. Comments included: 'I love it here' and 'I love the staff'.