Northgate House

Northgate House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 33 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 28 people using the service. People live in an adapted building suitable for their needs.

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

Risks to people were assessed and their safety monitored and managed. However, we identified some checks, although completed regularly, had not been undertaken by an appropriately competent person.

We have made a recommendation about the completion of some checks.

Safeguarding systems were in place and were embedded across the service. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding and people told us they felt safe. People's independence and freedom were respected. Sufficient, suitable and trained staff were in place. Medicines were administered safely and appropriate guidance and practices were followed. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection. Lessons were learned and improvements made when things went wrong; these were shared with staff.

People's needs and choices were assessed and regular reviews took place. Staff were appropriately trained and well-supported through induction, shadowing and competency checks. People received enough to eat and drink and were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Food, fluid and people's weights were monitored. Staff worked as an effective and cohesive team. There were effective systems in place to ensure people were supported to access appropriate healthcare when they needed it. 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.

People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion, and given emotional support when needed. People were encouraged and supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care. People's privacy, dignity and independence was respected and promoted.

People received personalised care which was responsive to their individual needs. People's care plans reflected their physical, mental, emotional and social needs. People's concerns and complaints were listened and responded to and used to improve the quality of care. People were supported at the end of their life to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

There was a positive culture within the home which supported high quality care. The governance framework continued to be developed, in partnership with the Local Authority's advice. Quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements were understood and managed. The home had quality engagement with people, relatives and staff. There was a culture of continuous learning and improvement, led by the registered manager. The home had good working relationships with partner organisations to develop and improve the service.

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 the service under the previous provider was good (published 31 July 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was undertaken as part of CQC’s scheduled processes.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Northgate House 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.