What life is like for people using this service:

People continued to receive safe care. Staff had a good understanding of abuse and the safeguarding procedures that should be followed to report abuse and incidents of concern. Risk assessments were in place to manage potential risks within people’s lives, whilst also promoting their independence.

The staff recruitment procedures ensured that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service. Good staffing levels were in place. Staffing support matched the level of assessed needs within the service during our inspection.

Staff induction training and on-going training was provided to ensure they had the skills, knowledge and support they needed to perform their roles. Specialist training was provided to make sure that people’s needs were met and they were supported effectively.

Staff were well supported by the registered manager and senior team, and had regular one to one supervisions. The staff we spoke with were all positive about the senior staff and management in place, and were happy with the support they received.

People's consent was gained before any care was provided. 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 supported this practice

Staff continued to treat people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes. Care plans reflected people’s likes and dislikes, and staff spoke with people in a friendly manner. Our observations during inspection, were of positive and friendly interactions between staff and people.

People were involved in their own care planning and were able to contribute to the way in which they were supported. People and their family were involved in reviewing their care and making any necessary changes.

A process was in place which ensured people could raise any complaints or concerns. Concerns were acted upon promptly and lessons were learned through positive communication.

The service continued to be well managed. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Actions were taken and improvements were made when required.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published August 2016)

About the service: Allesley Hall is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to people who may or may not have nursing care needs.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

This inspection took place on 14 July 2016 and was unannounced. Allesley Hall provides personal and nursing care and accommodation for up to 45 people. This includes older people with physical nursing needs as well as people who are nearing the end of their life. On the day of our visit there were 44 people living there. There was a registered manager in post who had worked at the home for around 16 years.

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.’

Staff had a good understanding of abuse and how to identify this. They knew what actions to take to keep people safe. There were processes to minimise risks to people's safety. These included procedures to manage identified risks with people's care and for managing people's medicines safely.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably trained care staff and nursing staff to meet people’s needs. Recruitment processes included a number of checks to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who used the service. New staff completed a thorough induction programme when they started work. Staff received training and had regular supervision and appraisal meetings in which their performance and development was discussed.

Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to work with people effectively. People received good end of life care from a compassionate and knowledgeable staff team. The registered manager understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff respected people's decisions and gained people's consent before they provided personal care.

People were encouraged to eat a varied diet that took account of their preferences and dietary needs. Where necessary, specialist diets were catered for and people were supported to eat. People were supported effectively with their health needs and had access to a range of healthcare professionals, including a doctor who visited the home on a weekly basis.

People had access to a range of activities both inside and outside the home which they enjoyed. People said staff were caring and kind and treated them with respect and dignity. Staff understood the importance of treating people with kindness and compassion. Staff encouraged people to be involved in decisions about their life and their support needs.

People and staff thought the registered manager and the management team were open and approachable. The registered manager supported staff well to provide good quality care to people.

Staff told us they felt supported by the management team and by each other. Both staff and people were given opportunities to make suggestions on how the service was run. The service carried out regular audits to monitor the quality of the service and to plan improvements. Where concerns were identified, action plans were put in place to rectify these.

The provider had a set of values that staff were required to work to which staff understood and promoted. The provider ensured the quality of care and services was maintained and continually improved through a range of quality monitoring processes.

Allesley Hall provides care to people through the Methodist Homes Association (MHA). The home is part of a national charitable organisation. The charity’s aim is to improve the quality of care for older people. Allesley Hall is supported by a Chaplain and up to 23 volunteers who provide activities and additional support to people living there.

Some people at Allesley Hall had complex nursing needs and were unable to communicate verbally with us. Eleven of the forty-three people who lived at the home had a diagnosis of dementia. The manager told us the service provided care that met the person’s physical needs, whilst offering specific support to people with dementia including emotional and spiritual support. To establish what is was like for people who lived at the home we spent a period of time observing people.

During our inspection we looked in detail at how care to three people with dementia was provided. We spoke with six people who used the service, eight staff and five relatives. We also left comments cards so people could share their views with us after our inspection.

We saw there were enough staff to meet the needs of people living at Allesley Hall. Volunteers also worked with staff and people living at Allesley Hall to assist in meeting people’s wider social needs and interests. This included activities that met the needs of people with dementia.

We saw staff being supportive and kind to people living at Allesley Hall. They were aware of the importance of preserving people's dignity and respect and their actions demonstrated this.

Systems were in place to ensure the needs of people with dementia were assessed before they were admitted to Allesley Hall. This included people’s communication, physical health, mental health, mobility and social needs. We saw that people, their relatives and health and social care professionals were involved in the assessment process.

We saw staff were responsive to changes in people’s needs. We saw that health and social care professionals were consulted, and staff worked with other providers to ensure that people received the right care at the right time.

We saw people with dementia were given an opportunity to use their skills and continue to be independent in some every-day tasks. One person said, “I try and eat my dinner myself. They always help me if I want."

Staff received training in dementia which enabled them to provide safe and professional care.

Effective systems were in place to enable the quality of care for people with dementia to be assessed, monitored and improved. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people with dementia were offered good quality care in a safe environment.

Some people at Allesley Hall had complex nursing needs and were unable to communicate. To establish what it was like for people living in the home, we spent a period of time observing people and also spoke with seven people.

People told us they were satisfied with the care being provided. We saw people being given opportunities to make choices when staff were delivering their care. We saw regular social activities were being provided. One person told us: “There will be a Christmas party. We had a Halloween and Jubilee party, that was really good.” Menus showed that meal choices were provided, two people told us the food was “very good”.

We saw that staff were busy carrying out their duties but were attentive towards people when delivering care. People were positive about the staff. They told us: “Very good, they are all very nice and gentle.” “I have made friends with most of the girls.” Some people told us they had to wait sometimes for staff support particularly when staff were busy.

People told us they felt at ease to raise any concerns they had with staff. We saw quality questionnaires completed by people showed a high level of satisfaction in relation to the care and services provided. Comments included: “I do feel the staff are lovely and do their best at all times so I can’t complain.” “Any concerns we have raised have always been dealt with promptly by the manager who is very approachable.”