Dimensions Newton House

Updated 4 November 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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 made up of two inspectors.

Service and service type

Dimensions Newton House is a respite service. People receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Dimensions Newton House is a service without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The first day of the inspection was unannounced, the second day of the inspection was announced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We toured the premises, spoke with five staff and one person. We undertook observations over both days of the inspection in communal areas of the service. We reviewed documents in relation to the safety and leadership of the service, including two recruitment files, provider level audits and minutes from team meetings.

After the inspection

We spoke with six relatives about their experiences of loved ones visiting the service for periods of respite care.

Updated 4 November 2022

About the service

Dimensions Newton House is a residential care home offering respite care and providing personal care to four people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to five people.

Dimensions Newton House is laid out over two floors; people can access these by stairs and a lift. Bedrooms are laid out over both floors with some offering en-suite facilities. The communal kitchen-dining room and lounge is located on the first floor. There is an activities area on the ground floor and people have level access to the garden. The registered manager’s office is adjacent to the reception area.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Care: People received person-centred care; we observed staff acting in a person-centred way and care plans reflected people’s wishes and preferences. Relatives said their loved ones looked forward to staying at Dimensions Newton House. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and people were involved with decisions about their care.

Right Support: Staff supported people to be as independent as possible, staff knew people well and how to meet their needs. People, staff, professionals and relatives were involved with decision making where appropriate. 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.

Right Culture: We received positive comments from relatives and people about staff and the management team. We observed staff working with people respectfully and measures were in place to protect people from avoidable harm. There was an inclusive approach to care provision and staff levels were reviewed and amended in response to people’s care needs.

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 11 November 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained the same.

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