Archived: New Horizons

Updated 26 May 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was a comprehensive inspection that took place on 4 May 2017 and was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also checked other information that we held about the service and the service provider, including notifications we received from the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we met and spoke with people who used the service and observed interactions between staff and people. We spoke with three support workers and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of care and support records for the three people, including care needs assessments, medicine administration records, health monitoring and daily support records. We also reviewed records about how the service was managed, including staff recruitment and training, quality and safety audits. Following the inspection we spoke with four relatives and obtained their views about the care provided at New Horizons.

We previously inspected the service in May 2015, when no concerns were found..

Updated 26 May 2017

New Horizons is a small residential care home providing personal care and support for up to three people who have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder.

This inspection took place on 4 May 2017 and was unannounced. There were three people living in the home.

At the last inspection on 8 and 12 May 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm. Staff were trained in how to recognise and respond to abuse and understood their responsibility to report any concerns to the management team.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks had been undertaken, which made sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in the home. There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff to meet people’s needs. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff were supported to provide appropriate care to people because they were trained, supervised and appraised. There was an induction, training and development programme, which supported staff to gain relevant knowledge and skills.

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 received regular and on-going health checks and support to attend appointments. They were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to make informed choices about what they ate.

Staff had built caring relationships with people and demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that their needs were met in ways that made them feel they were valued and respected. People and their families were supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care and support.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and staff listened to what they said. Staff were prompt to raise issues about people’s health and people were referred to health professionals when needed. People could be confident that any concerns or complaints they raised would be dealt with.

Relatives spoke positively about how the service was managed. The service had a registered manager and there was an open and inclusive culture within the home. There were a range of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to ensure people were receiving appropriate support.