Connie Lewcock Resource Centre

Updated 10 January 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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 inspection took place on 4 December 2018 and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we would be visiting.

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector 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.

We reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We contacted the commissioners of the relevant local authorities, the local authority safeguarding team and other professionals who worked with the service to gain their views of the care provided by Connie Lewcock Resource Centre.

We spoke with six people who used the service and one relative of people using the service. We looked at three care plans, three medicine administration records (MARs) and handover sheets. We spoke with seven members of staff, including the registered manager, two senior managers from the provider and support staff. We looked at two staff files, which included recruitment records. We also looked at records involved with the day to day running of the service.

Updated 10 January 2019

This inspection took place on 4 December 2018 and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we would be visiting.

The service was last inspected in April 2016. At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Connie Lewcock Resource Centre 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 works in partnership with Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital Trust. It provides short stay care for up to 24 older people who require community rehabilitation or emergency care in crisis situations. At the time of our inspection 20 people were using the service.

There was a registered manager 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 registered manager was registered in October 2016.

Risks to people using the service were assessed and plans put in place to address them. Plans were in place to support people in emergency situations. The provider had clear and effective infection control processes in place. People were safeguarded from abuse. Medicines were managed safely. The provider and registered manager ensured enough staff were deployed to support people safely. The provider’s recruitment process minimised the risk of unsuitable staff being employed.

Staff were effective at ensuring people received the support they needed and worked very closely with external healthcare professionals to provide this. Staff were supported with regular training, supervision and appraisal. 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 were supported with food and nutrition. The premises had been adapted for the comfort and convenience of people living there.

People spoke positively about the support they received and described staff as kind and caring. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were focussed on promoting people’s independence and helping them return home as soon as possible. Throughout the inspection we saw numerous examples of staff delivering kind and caring support. People were supported to maintain relationships and social connections of importance to them. At the time of our inspection nobody was using an advocate, but policies and procedures were in place to support this where needed.

People received person-centred care based on their assessed needs and preferences. People were supported to communicate effectively and were given information in accessible formats. People were supported to access activities they enjoyed. Clear policies and procedures were in place to investigate and respond to complaints.

Staff spoke positively about the leadership of the registered manager and culture and values of the service. The registered manager had informed CQC of significant events in a timely way by submitting the required notifications. This meant we could check that appropriate action had been taken. The provider and registered manager carried out a number of quality assurance audits to monitor and improve standards at the service. Feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff and was acted on. The registered manager and staff had worked to create a number of community links that benefited people using the service.