HF Trust Newcastle and Tyneside

HF Trust - Newcastle DCA provides personal care and support to people with a learning disability who live in supported living houses across Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people who received support with personal care.

Not everyone who used the service 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

People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. 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 service provided personalised care. The service had appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs. The provider assessed risks and staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.

Right Culture

The culture in the service was positive. Staff understood the organisational values they shared with their colleagues and the supportive teamwork this created. The provider had robust quality assurance systems in place.

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 13 August 2018).

Why we inspected

We carried out this inspection due to the length of time since the last inspection.

This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions Safe and Well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for HF Trust - Newcastle DCA on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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

This was the first time we inspected the service, which was registered with CQC in April 2017.

HF Trust - Newcastle DCA 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.

Not everyone using the service 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. At the time of this inspection, the service provided personal care to 45 people.

People using the service lived in ordinary flats and houses across Newcastle and North Tyneside either by themselves or with other people in houses with shared toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities.

HF Trust - Newcastle DCA was 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.

Four 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.

The service was exceptionally individualised and person-centred. People were supported to live full and enriched lives. The provider supported people to be active members of their local community. People and their skills were valued. The provider employed people who used the service in a paid capacity. People were supported to secure employment and volunteer roles within the community. 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 had shown initiative and dedication in arranging for dance classes to be held in one person’s town so they could enjoy their hobby more frequently. Staff had applied to the provider's fundraising department for a grant to purchase an innovative communication system for one person, and a bicycle for staff to enable another person to pursue their passion for cycling.

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. Accidents and incidents had been monitored and measures put in place to reduce the likelihood of them reoccurring.

People told us they liked the staff. Relatives told us the service was safe. During our observations we saw people looked comfortable with staff. Staff understood their responsibilities in safeguarding people from abuse.

Some people who used the service, at times, displayed behaviours which could pose a risk to themselves or others. Support plans communicated known triggers, and how staff should support people to reduce the likelihood of people feeling anxious or agitated.

People's medicines were well managed.

There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Robust recruitment procedures had been followed. 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 standard expected.

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.

People's nutritional needs had been assessed. Records showed people's preferences were taken into consideration. People were involved in planning meals, grocery shopping and making their own food.

Staff were given clear and detailed information about how they should support people. Plans of care had been devised following assessments of people's needs.

Relatives told us staff were very caring. People were included in planning and reviewing their own care. Meetings were held so people could be involved in making decisions about how the service was run.

People, relatives and staff were encouraged to share their feedback. We saw very positive responses to a survey from October 2017.

Complaints had been well managed. Records showed concerns had been investigated and responded to in line with the provider's complaints policy.

Relatives, professionals and staff told us the service was managed very well. Registered managers told us the culture of the service was to develop people's independence and enable them to enjoy full lives. All of the staff we spoke with told us they agreed this culture was in place.

Staff told us they felt listened to and valued. Staff meetings were held regularly. A recognition scheme was in place to celebrate when staff had showed dedication and the values of the service.

A range of checks were carried out to monitor the quality of the service. Care records were maintained to a good standard and stored securely so they remained confidential.