Archived: Easter Field Court Residential Care Home

Updated 1 September 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection of Easterfield Court Residential Care Home was carried out by one inspector. We visited the service on 7 June 2016. The inspection was announced because it was part of our planned comprehensive inspection programme of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust's services. Inspections of the provider's other services were carried out by a team of CQC inspectors, specialist advisors and experts by experience. Specialist advisors are clinicians and professionals who assist us with inspections. Experts-by-experience are people who have personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

We spoke with 11 of the 15 people who lived at the service to obtain their views of the service. We also talked with two people's relatives.

We checked information which we had received about the service prior to our inspection. The manager had completed a provider information return (PIR) prior to the inspection. A PIR is a form which asks the provider to give some key information about their service; how it is addressing the five questions and what improvements they plan to make.

As part of our inspection we spoke with the registered manager, a team leader and three care workers. We also spoke with two community nurses, a support worker from the provider's community rehabilitation team and an occupational therapist. We conferred with a social worker from the local NHS trust. We examined three support plans and records relating to staff, including training files. In addition, we checked records related to the management of the service such as audits. We consulted with a local authority 7 Easterfield Court Residential Care Home Inspection report 26 August 2016 safeguarding officer. We considered all of the information we gathered and used it to inform our judgements.

Updated 1 September 2016

This inspection took place on 7 June 2016 and was announced. The inspection took place as part of our

comprehensive inspection of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust's services.

We last inspected the service in November 2013 where we found the service was meeting all the regulations

we inspected.

Easter Field Court Residential Care Home is a service for people with a mental health condition. It comprises

of five bungalows situated in a cul-de-sac, within walking distance of Morpeth town centre. A total of 17

people can be accommodated in the bungalows. There were 15 people in receipt of care and support from

the service at the time of the inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care

Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'.

Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act

2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service had been through a period of change. Two of the provider's residential homes had closed and

staff at these services had come to work at Easter Field Court Residential Care Home. In addition, a new

"model of care" had been introduced. The service had been a "home for life;" now it was now a transitional

service where people came for assessment and "moved on" to live independently in the local community or

to another residential service.

People told us they felt safe. There were safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff were

knowledgeable about what action they would take if abuse was suspected. There were no ongoing

safeguarding concerns. This was confirmed by the local authority safeguarding adults officer.

The premises were clean and well maintained. Checks were carried out to ensure the safety of the building

and equipment.

There was a safe system in place for the receipt, storage, administration and disposal of medicines. Many

people managed their own medicines.

People told us there were enough staff to meet their needs. On the day of the inspection, we saw that

people's needs were met by the number of staff on duty. There was a training programme in place. Staff

were trained in safe working practices and to meet the specific needs of people who lived at the service.

Staff told us that they were a small supportive team. All staff told us that they felt well supported by the

manager.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act

3 Easter Field Court Residential Care Home Inspection report 26 August 2016

2005 (MCA) including the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. MCA is a

law that protects and supports people who do not have ability to make their own decisions and to ensure

decisions are made in their 'best interests' it also ensures unlawful restrictions are not placed on people in

care homes and hospitals. The manager told us and our own observations confirmed that there were no

restrictions on people's liberty.

People were supported with their nutritional needs. There was an emphasis on promoting people's

independence in all areas of their life, including nutrition. We observed that people were cared for by staff

with kindness and patience. One person said, "I just love them to bits."

Care plans were in place which aimed to meet people's health, emotional, social and physical needs. They

provided staff with information about how people's care needs were to be met.

People told us that there was an emphasis on meeting their social needs. They were supported to access the

local community, go on holiday and pursue their individual hobbies and interests. There was a complaints

procedure in place and people told us they knew how to complain.

There was a system in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Audits and checks were carried

out regularly on various aspects of the service.