New Lane

Updated 3 June 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 was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

New Lane is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 an acting manager but had been without a registered manager for a short while. However, the provider was being proactive in identifying a new registered manager to commence in the very near future.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the manager, a senior support worker and a student social worker. We also spoke with a visiting health professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to staffing issues.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at three people’s care records and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We received feedback from three health and social care professionals who have regular contact with the service.

Updated 3 June 2021

About the service

New Lane is a short-term care home for up to seven people, which was set up in partnership with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Home Based Treatment Team (HBTT) and adult social care. The aim is to support people who would otherwise be treated in hospital, in a more relaxed, homely setting. People are supported by the service, as part of a wider team, to gain skills to manage their mental health. The length of stay is aimed at crisis intervention. At the time of our inspection, there were four people using the service.

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

Thorough assessments of people’s needs, support plans and risk assessments were in place. Health and safety certificates, checks and risk were complete and up to date. Medicines were managed safely and the service adhered to appropriate infection control measures.

Staff were recruited safely and sufficient staff were deployed to ensure people’s needs were met. The support provided was person-centred and inclusive. People’s diversity was respected and their individual needs met appropriately.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service responded in an open and honest way with regard to complaints, feedback and suggestions. These were used to inform continual improvement to service provision. There were quality assurance systems in place to help ensure a continued high standard of support.

The service worked in partnership with a number of other agencies and professionals.

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 3 October 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part by notification of a specific incident. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service has remained 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.

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.