St Josephs – Newcastle provides nursing and residential care for 58 for older people, some of whom are living with dementia and at the time of the inspection there were 54 people in residence. The service is spread over four floors, with more independent people living on the upper levels. Sisters of the poor also live on site and inhabit one of the upper levels of the service. A Mother Superior was responsible for the sisters and the service.

St Joseph's - Newcastle is one of a number of homes run by the Little Sisters of the Poor congregation. Jeanne Jugan was the founder and first Little Sister of the Poor. The homes' vision is to continue the inspiration of Jeanne Jugan in today's world, to improve care for the elderly and to promote the elderly's role in society. The Little Sisters of the Poor congregation adhere at all times to the philosophy and ethics of

the Catholic Church.

St Joseph's - Newcastle is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

At our last inspection, we rated the service good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection, we found the service remained good. Full detailed finding can be found in the last inspection report.

The home had a registered manager in place who was also the Mother Superior. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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. The registered manager and the staffing team were held in high regard by people and visitors to the service.

The registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding procedures. People’s day to day risks had been assessed to support them as much as possible and help keep them from harm. Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and monitored.

People had access to healthcare services and received ongoing healthcare support. Appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe management and administration of medicines.

People’s care needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were written in a person-centred way and reviewed regularly. Being person-centred means the person’s individual wishes, needs and choices are taken into account.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Activities were plentiful and arranged around the likes and interests of people who used the service. The community was encouraged to be involved with the service, including attending luncheon clubs.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service. The provider had effective procedures in place for managing the maintenance of the premises and appropriate health and safety checks were carried out.

The provider had a complaints procedure in place and people who used the service and their relatives were aware of how to make a complaint. The provider had a quality assurance process which they used to maintain good standards throu

Some of the people living at the home had dementia and were unable to tell us what they thought about living there. However, people we spoke with who could communicate their views said they liked living at the home. They said they liked the staff and they were helpful. They said they were pleased with the care and support provided by the carers. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff who were always polite and cheerful.

Comments from people using the service included:

"I'm very comfortable living here."

"The staff are very good."

"Staff are kindness itself."

"It's like a five star hotel."

"The food is excellent."

People we spoke with told us they liked living at the home. They said they were given choices about what issues were important to them, such as food preferences and daily routines. People said the staff were lovely and the food was generally good. Visitors told us the staff worked well together and were happy and smiling. They were also kept up to date with important events. People we spoke with said they had no reason to complain but would feel able to do so if needed.

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 20 and 25 November 2015.

We last inspected St Joseph’s Newcastle in January 2014. At that inspection we found the service was meeting the legal requirements in force at the time.

St Joseph’s Newcastle provides accommodation for people who require nursing or personal care and support for up to 58 people, some of whom may live with dementia or a dementia related condition.

A registered manager was in place. ‘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.

People were protected as staff had received training about safeguarding and knew how to respond to any allegation of abuse. Staff were aware of the whistle blowing procedure which was in place to report concerns and poor practice.

Staff had received training and had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Best Interest Decision Making, where decisions were made on behalf of people who were unable to make decisions themselves. Other appropriate training was provided and staff were supervised and supported.

People received their medicines in a safe and timely way. People had access to health care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Staff followed advice given by professionals to make sure people received the care they needed.

Staff knew the people they were supporting well. Care was provided with kindness and people’s privacy and dignity were respected.

Menus were varied and a choice was offered at each mealtime. Staff supported people who required help to eat and drink and special diets were catered for. There were a variety of activities and entertainment available for people.

A complaints procedure was available. People told us they would feel confident to speak to staff about any concerns if they needed to. People had the opportunity to give their views about the service. There was regular consultation with people and/ or family members and their views were used to improve the service. The provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided.

Staff and people who used the service said the registered manager was supportive and approachable. Communication was effective, ensuring people, their relatives and other relevant agencies were kept up to date about any changes in people’s care and support needs and the running of the service. There were effective systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service, which included feedback from people receiving care.