- Care home
Dimensions Somerset Newholme
Report from 8 February 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Dimensions Somerset Newholme is a residential care home registered to provide personal care to up to 8 people. There were 6 people living at the home at the time of the assessment. The home specialises in the care of people who have a learning disability and/or autism. We carried out an assessment of the service which started on 13 February 2024 and was completed on 21 February 2024 to check if the service had followed their action plan since the last inspection and now met legal requirements and recommendations. A site visit to gather people’s experiences and observe care practices was carried out on 13 February 2024. We carried out observations throughout the day to see how staff and people interacted together. Since the last inspection enough improvements had been made which were fully embedded into the day to day running of the home. These included improvements in governance, medicines administration and how the Mental Capacity Act 2005 has been put into practice. One relative told us that since the current registered manager had been in post, “It’s improved tremendously.” As part of the assessment, 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 and form part of our assessment. During the site visit, we met all 6 people who lived at the home and spoke with 1 of them about their care and support. We spoke to staff, including the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included people’s care documentation, staff recruitment folders and a variety of records relation to the management of the service, including quality monitoring, medicines and staff training. We contacted 3 people’s relatives to ask for their views.
People's experience of this service
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture. People had choice and control over their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way and in their best interests; the systems in the service supported this practice. People received personalised care and support built around their needs and wishes from a staff team who knew them well. There were sufficient numbers of staff to support people safely, who were appropriately recruited and received training. People's care documentation described the support delivered by staff and people’s chosen lifestyle. The staff team was flexible which enabled them to meet changing needs and wishes. People’s independence was encouraged and supported. People enjoyed regular activities and interests within and outside of the home. Staff supported people to establish routines and activities, try new things and achieve their goals. People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff did not have any concerns about possible abuse or poor practice. They knew how to report concerns and were confident action would be taken. Any risks to people were identified, assessed and reviewed. Staff recognised signs when people experienced emotional distress and knew how to support them. Staff felt well supported. There was ongoing training and supervision for staff to make sure they followed best practice guidelines. The home had a culture that was open, inclusive, empowering and person-centered. Staff felt able to raise any issues and make suggestions. Staff ensured people received the care and treatment they needed. They advocated for people when necessary to ensure good outcomes. The provider and registered manager had systems in place to ensure standards were continually monitored. Any shortfalls identified were used to drive improvements in the care and support people received in the home and across the provider group.