CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 163 Newington Road
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Staffing, recruitment, medicines, infection control and incident reporting were managed safely.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not assessed during this focused inspection. The previous rating was carried forward.
- Caring?
- Good
- This question was not assessed during this focused inspection. The previous rating was carried forward.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- This question was not assessed during this focused inspection. The previous rating was carried forward.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found positive leadership, supportive staff relationships, effective audits and a stable staff team. People and relatives were involved in reviews and feedback.
What inspectors found, November 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found people safe, happy and well supported, with positive leadership, but this visit only checked safety and management.
The home supports up to four people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Four people lived there during the inspection. Inspectors visited on 27 October and 1 November 2022, spoke with people, relatives and staff, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Inspectors found enough skilled staff, safe medicine management, suitable infection control and clear plans for managing risks. Staff knew people's needs and supported their choices, communication and independence.
People and relatives said they were happy with the home and felt safe. Staff were described as supportive and the staff team was stable. The home had systems for recording incidents, learning from them and checking the quality of care.
This was a focused inspection because of concerns about staffing and incident records. Inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk from these concerns. Safe and well-led were rated Good. The other areas were not inspected and their ratings were carried forward from the previous inspection in 2019.
People were happy
People told inspectors they were happy living in the home. Relatives also reported positive experiences.
“People told us they were happy living at the service.” from the report
Enough skilled staff
There were enough staff to meet people's needs and support activities. The home had also recruited waking night staff as some people's needs increased.
“There were enough staff to provide support to people.” from the report
Medicines were managed safely
Staff had information about medicines and followed safe systems for giving, recording and storing them. Medicines were reviewed in line with reducing over-medication.
“People were supported by staff who followed systems and processes to administer, record and store medicines safely.” from the report
Stable staff team
Staff turnover was very low. This meant people were supported by staff who knew them well.
“Staff retention levels were high, and the staff team was stable.” from the report
Learning from incidents
Incidents were recorded, reviewed and used to reduce the chance of them happening again. The home worked with health professionals after a person's fall.
“Trends in incidents were analysed and actions were taken to reduce the risk of incidents reoccurring.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you increase staffing if my relative's needs changed, especially at night?
- 02How are incidents recorded, reviewed and followed up to prevent them happening again?
- 03How would staff support my relative to communicate choices and make day-to-day decisions?
- 04How do you make sure staff understand and follow each person's risk guidance when they are out in the community?
- 05What are the current ratings or findings for Effective, Caring and Responsive, which were not assessed in this inspection?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings were carried forward from the previous inspection published on 18 June 2019. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 November 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, June 2019
SENSE - 163 Newington Road rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and highly personalised care.
This was a planned inspection by one inspector on 27 and 28 March 2019. The inspector spoke with two people, four relatives and staff, observed care, and reviewed care plans, medicines records, recruitment files, training records and other documents.
The home was supporting four people with sensory impairments. Inspectors found that people were safe, supported by skilled staff, treated with dignity and involved in decisions. Staff adapted communication, activities, equipment and staffing when people's needs changed.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led were rated Good. Responsive was rated Outstanding, meaning inspectors found exceptionally flexible and personalised support in this area.
Communication support
Staff developed different ways for people to communicate, including British Sign Language, deafblind manual, picture aids and Braille. This helped people express choices and take part in decisions.
“People's communication was developed, so that they could express their views and receive the support they desired.” from the report
Independence
People were supported to regain and build skills, such as preparing food, doing laundry, moving around the home and using specialist equipment.
“Staff were passionate about building people's skills, knowledge and independence and worked with people to achieve their goals.” from the report
Flexible support
Staff changed support, staffing and equipment when people's health or interests changed. People could take part in activities, work placements, holidays and community life.
“The care and support provided at 163 Newington Road was determined by the needs and interests of the people living there.” from the report
End of life care
Staff respected people's wishes to remain at the home and arranged training and specialist equipment to support them. Families were also supported during bereavement.
“Staff went above and beyond to ensure that people's end of life wishes were respected.” from the report
Quality improvement system
minorInspectors said the home's self-assessment and development system could give more advice on how to improve areas rated Good to Outstanding. This was an improvement point rather than a breach.
“The system could have been developed further by offering advice and guidance on how to progress areas from good to outstanding.” from the report
- 01How would you communicate with my relative if they use Braille, British Sign Language, deafblind manual or another method?
- 02How would you support my relative to keep or regain independence in everyday tasks?
- 03How would staffing change if my relative became unwell or wanted to attend activities at short notice?
- 04What specialist equipment and staff training could be provided if my relative's health or communication needs changed?
- 05How would you support my relative's end of life wishes and keep them at the home if that was their preference?
This was a planned inspection of the care, accommodation and all five CQC questions; the previous overall rating was Good, published on 17 February 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 June 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of 163 Newington Road
4 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2022Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- June 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: Good
- September 2016GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 29 November 2010.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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39 live-in carers within about an hour of Kent
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 33 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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