16 June 2021
During a routine inspection
Newcombe Lodge is a residential children’s home for up to eight children who have mental ill-health or emotional wellbeing needs. The home is a described by the provider as a transitional recovery service. The home specialises in accommodating and treating children with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and who have a history of self-harm.
Each child has their own room but shares some facilities with the other children living there. There were five children living there at the time of our visit.
Children live, and receive care and treatment, at Newcombe Lodge on a long-term basis. Children are either looked after by their local authority, and / or they have moved to the home under transitional arrangements from an inpatient facility.
The published date on this report is the date that the report was republished due to changes that needed to be made. There are no changes to the narrative of the report which still reflects CQCs findings at the time of inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Children were safe and protected from avoidable harm. The provider had systems in place to identify and respond to abuse or the risk of abuse. Children told us they felt safe and they were involved in the creation and review of their risk management plans. The registered manager had improved safe recruitment processes following specific safeguarding incidents. Medicines were appropriately stored and managed. There were effective arrangements for the prevention and control of infection and the provider had clear processes for managing the risk of COVID 19 transmission. Learning from incidents took place. We have made a recommendation about the way interventions are described in children’s support plans. We have made a recommendation about the way controlled drugs are recorded.
Children had a treatment pathway that was planned through the provider’s multi-disciplinary team and which made use of a range of therapeutic approaches according to national guidance. Staff, including newly recruited staff, had access to a range of role specific training and access to supervision. Staff had opportunities to develop their skill through an external qualification. Children told us they were involved in care planning and were able to express their wishes and feelings. We have made a recommendation about the way goals are recorded in children’s treatment plans.
Children said they felt they were well-treated and that staff understood their needs. We observed staff speaking respectfully and kindly to children. Children were enabled to make decisions about their care and treatment and were involved in all aspects of planning. Children’s independence was supported and they were treated with dignity and respect. We have made a recommendation about the routine wearing of masks by staff.
Children were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives using the provider’s MDT approach. Initial assessments were thorough and took account of information from other professionals and the child. Plans reflected children’s assessed needs. Children were supported to maintain contact with their families and could have pets at the home.
The registered manager promoted an inclusive culture and was well-liked by staff and the children we spoke to. A new statement of purpose was detailed and set out the strategic vision and the operating systems at the home. An open culture promoted the application of the duty of candour. Children’s views were sought about how the service could be developed. The service worked appropriately with local partners.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection (and update)
The provider was in breach of regulations (report published in January 2020). At that time the provider did not;
- assess and mitigate the risks to young people to take account of their changing needs and,
- establish and operate systems to effectively assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the services provided.
Following that inspection, we required the provider to make improvements. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We conducted an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 16 and 17 June 2021. This inspection was to follow up the breaches of regulation from our earlier inspection.
We also inspected following a concern that had been brought to our attention about the provider’s ability to safeguard children from abuse. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm in relation to this concern. Please see the ‘safe’ and ‘well-led’ sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Newcombe Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit according to our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.