Newton House

Updated 23 December 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service

Service and service type

This service provides care to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care service.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 5 people who used the service and 2 relatives. We spoke with 8 staff including 4 care staff, assistant managers, administrative staff and the registered manager. We contacted a further 4 care staff for their views.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We also viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, policies and procedures.

Updated 23 December 2022

About the service

Newton House provides personal care to people who live in their own apartments in a purpose-built extra care scheme. The service was registered to provide support to older people, people who had physical disability and people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the service.

Not everyone who lived at Newton House received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

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.

Right Support: The service was safe. Risks to people's health and safety were managed without compromising their independence. If people needed assistance with their medicines, this was managed in a safe way. There were enough staff to make sure people received care and support when they needed it. Staff were trained and supported to carry out their job safely and effectively. People had confidence in staff’s abilities and competence. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service upheld this practice.

Right Care: The care was person-centred and promoted people's human rights. People praised the staff for their care and kindness. Staff were friendly and engaging. People’s continuing independence was encouraged and promoted and some people were supported to regain skills they had previously lost. People said they got on well with the staff and staff knew how to support each person in the way they preferred. The service was run in the best interests of the people who used it. Staff made sure people were treated with dignity and respect, and their privacy was protected.

Right Culture: The values and culture of the management and staff team meant people led inclusive and empowered lives. People were fully involved in the arrangements about their care and their decisions were respected. People said there had been recent improvements to the way the service was run and praised the management team. People were asked for their views in person and in surveys. They had information about how to raise issues and were confident about discussing anything with the management team. Staff said the management team were open and approachable. They were happy in their roles and said the registered manager was encouraging and supportive. The management team were committed to the continuous improvement of the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 16 August 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection of a new service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.