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Care Services

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Balmoral Court, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Balmoral Court in Newcastle Upon Tyne is a Nursing home specialising in the provision of services relating to accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care, caring for adults over 65 yrs, caring for adults under 65 yrs, dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and treatment of disease, disorder or injury. The last inspection date here was 12th July 2019

Balmoral Court is managed by Crown Care IV Limited who are also responsible for 5 other locations

Contact Details:

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-Led: Good
Overall: Good

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2019-07-12
    Last Published 2018-01-24

Local Authority:

    Newcastle upon Tyne

Link to this page:

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Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

1st December 2017 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Balmoral Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Balmoral Court provides nursing and personal care for up to 58 mainly older people with dementia-related conditions and other mental illnesses. The home is set out over two floors, one designated for accommodating females and the other for males. At the time of our inspection there were 46 people living at the home.

The service was last inspected in August 2016 and rated as ‘Requires Improvement’. Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions of safe, effective and well-led to at least good. At this inspection we found the necessary improvements had been made in the management of medicines, upholding people’s rights under mental capacity law, and to the governance of the service. The service had improved to good and met each of the fundamental standards we inspected.

A new manager was in post who had applied to be registered. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Systems were in place to safeguard people against the risks of harm and abuse. The home had been enhanced and the environment was clean, comfortable and equipped to meet people’s needs.

There were enough skilled and experienced staff who provided continuity of care. The staff received training and support that enabled them to care for people effectively. People were appropriately supported in maintaining their health and nutritional needs.

Staff were caring in their approach and had formed supportive relationships with people and their families. They respected privacy and dignity and encouraged people to make choices about their care. Formal decision-making processes were undertaken with the involvement of advocates, when necessary.

People’s needs were assessed and care planned, guiding staff about the care and support the individual required. A range of activities and access to the community was provided to support people in meeting their social needs. Good arrangements were made when people were cared for at the end of their lives.

The manager promoted an inclusive culture and provided leadership to the staff team. Feedback was sought and any complaints received were taken seriously and responded to. The quality of the service was continuously monitored to check that standards were maintained and improved.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

8th August 2016 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

The inspection took place on 8, 22, 25 August and 3, 4 October 2016 and the first day was unannounced. This was the first inspection of Balmoral Court following a change in registration in February 2016 relating to the provider’s brand. An earlier inspection was carried out to check the safety and welfare of people using the service following a serious incident that had occurred at the home.

Balmoral Court is a care home that provides nursing and personal care for up to 58 mainly older people who have dementia-related conditions and other mental illnesses. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people living at the home.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

We found that the ongoing personal safety of people living at the home was not compromised. Appropriate steps were taken to safeguard people against the risks of avoidable harm and abuse. Measures were in place to reduce the risks associated with people’s care and to ensure there were safe working practices.

Safety-related checks were carried out and there was improved maintenance of the building. A decorating and refurbishment programme was nearing completion and more efforts were being made to enhance the environment. Accidents and incidents were suitably reported, analysed and acted on.

New staff were properly checked and vetted before they started working with vulnerable people. There was a full staff team and enough staff to provide people with safe and consistent care. Comprehensive training had been delivered to support staff in developing their skills and enable them to provide people with effective care.

Choices of meals were offered and people were given support with eating and drinking, where needed. Nutrition was assessed and, when necessary, dietetic and other specialist advice was obtained. People were supported in meeting their physical and mental health needs and accessed a range of health care services. However, the management of medicines was not fully robust and required improvement.

The principles of mental capacity law were not always being applied to make sure people’s rights were upheld. Formal processes had not been undertaken for making specific decisions about people’s care and treatment where they were unable to give their consent.

People and their representatives were provided with information about the service and had opportunities to give their feedback. We observed positive interactions and good relationships between people and the staff who cared for them. This was confirmed by people and their relatives who told us staff were caring and respectful.

Individualised care plans had been developed to guide staff on meeting people’s identified needs and preferences. Care was regularly evaluated and adapted in response to any changes in a person’s needs, though reviews of care to consult with people and their relatives had lapsed. A variety of activities were arranged for social stimulation and to help people be included in their local community.

The management team provided leadership and support to the staff. They were promoting an open culture in the service and aimed to work more inclusively with people, their relatives and staff. Any complaints raised were taken seriously and promptly addressed. A more structured approach was being taken to monitoring standards in the home, though this had not highlighted the shortfalls we found during the inspection. The governance arrangements needed to be improved to keep closer scrutiny of the quality and safety of the service.

We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulatio

 

 

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