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.

We found people's needs were assessed and care was planned in line with their needs. One person told us, "I am happy here and feel everything is done to help and support me." Another person told us, "I have the support I need, when I need it."

Care plans were recorded and were regularly updated and contained clear information about individuals' care. People or their relatives had been involved.

The premises were warm, comfortable and clean and were appropriately maintained. One person told us, "I like my home."

At the time of this visit there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff available to meet people's needs. Staff responded promptly to requests for assistance. One person told us, "There is always someone if I need to talk."

People's personal records were accurate, fit for purpose and held securely. Other records were kept in an appropriate form.

In this report two registered managers are listed. One of these was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time.

We spoke with nine people who used the service and one relative to find out their opinions of the service.

People told us that staff promoted their privacy and dignity. We concluded that people’s diversity, values and human rights were respected.

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person said, “It’s my home. You get well taken care of.” We found that people’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan.

People said they felt safe both at the service and with the staff who supported them. One person commented, “They’re never nasty. We can get grumpy, but they never do with us.” We concluded that the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify possible abuse and prevent it from happening.

People told us that staff were well trained. We found that staff were able, from time to time, to obtain further relevant qualifications and received appropriate professional development.

People told us they felt able to raise any concerns or comments about the service and that they had no complaints to make.