Lifeways Community Care (South Shields)

Updated 15 July 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This supported the home and us to manage any potential risks associated with COVID-19 pandemic.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information available to us since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We sought feedback from commissioners and professionals who work with the service, including the local authority safeguarding adults’ team.

During the inspection

We spoke with the senior service manager and the team leader. We reviewed two people's care plans and three people's MAR records.

After the inspection

We reviewed one staff recruitment file and a number of quality assurance documents. We continued to receive information from the registered manager. We spoke with the registered manager, three care staff, two relatives and four visiting professional over the telephone.

Updated 15 July 2021

Lifeways Community Care (South Shields), provides residential care for up to four people who live with a learning disability and/or autism. At the time of inspection, three people were using the service.

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

People received safe care and were protected from abuse. Staff had received training in safeguarding and were confident to identify various types of abuse. Staff knew who to contact to raise any safeguarding concerns they may have. Risk assessments were in place which supported staff to care for people safely. Staff recruitment was safe and staffing levels were appropriate to meet the needs of people. When things went wrong, lessons were learnt from these and were shared with staff to prevent reoccurrence. Infection control procedures were in place and staff were seen to be wearing appropriate PPE. Staff told us they had received up-to-date training regarding infection control.

People received kind and compassionate care from staff. Relatives and professionals we spoke with were very complimentary regarding the level of support people received. Staff supported people to live with as much dignity as possible and staff were mindful to ensure people were supported to be as independent as they could be.

People received person-centred care and staff were very positive about the care people now received. People were involved in the daily planning of their lives which included what activities they wanted to do, what they wanted to eat, and what time they got up and went to bed. Complaints were investigated and actioned in line with the provider’s complaints policy. People were supported to maintain contact with their relatives. Staff knew how to communicate with each person and people had access to a range of ‘tools’ to support people with their communication.

The registered manager and all members of staff had worked very hard to change the previous culture and practice within the service. Staff told us they loved coming to work now as the changes and the improvements made the service so much better for the people living there. The registered manager completed various audits to monitor the quality of the service and care provided. Staff told us they felt valued and listened to. Staff now felt the service was back to where it belonged, and that was for the ‘lads’ living there as it was their home.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.The model of care and support provided to people living at the service maximised their choice, control and independence. People were involved in all aspects of their care and future planning. Care provided at the service was centred around the person and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights.The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management team and staff ensured people lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 16 December 2020) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced focused inspection of this service on 28 August 2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the breaches of regulation found in person-centred care; dignity and respect; safe care and treatment; safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment and good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions of Safe, Caring, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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 Lifeways Community Care (South Shields) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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