We carried out an inspection of Ancliffe Residential Care Home on the 10 and 11 July 2018, the first day of inspection was unannounced. This was the first time the home had been inspected since it re-registered with the Care Quality Commission in November 2017, due to a change in ownership.

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

The home is located in Goose Green, a residential area approximately one mile from Wigan town centre and is registered to provide accommodation for up to 40 people who require personal care and support. At the time of this inspection 40 people were living at the home, although three were in hospital.

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.

Each person we spoke with told us they felt safe and enjoyed living at Ancliffe Residential Care Home. Relatives were also complimentary about the standard of care provided. We saw staff had received training in safeguarding, which was refreshed in line with the providers policy and knew how to report concerns. The home had appropriate safeguarding policies and reporting procedures in place and had submitted notifications to the local authority and CQC as required.

We found the home to be clean with detailed cleaning checklists and appropriate infection control processes in place. Staff wore personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent the spread of infection and toilets and bathrooms contained hand hygiene equipment and guidance.

People, relatives and staff told us enough staff were on duty to safely meet needs. Staffing levels were based on people’s dependency levels and rotas we viewed during the inspection confirmed the required number of staff had been deployed at all times, with any shortages due to sickness or absence filled by existing staff members, to ensure consistency of care.

We saw medicines were stored, handled and administered safely and effectively. All necessary documentation was in place and had been completed consistently. The home’s quality monitoring procedures, had highlighted any gaps or omissions in medicines documentation and taken steps to address this. Staff responsible for administering medicines had been trained and had their competency assessed.

We found care files contained detailed risk assessments, which had been regularly reviewed to reflect people’s changing needs. This ensured staff had the necessary information to help minimise risks to people living at the home.

Staff spoke positively about the support and training provided. We saw staff had completed an induction programme upon commencing employment and on-going training was provided, both e-learning and practical, to ensure skills and knowledge remained up to date. Staff also told us they received regular supervision and annual appraisals, which along with the completion of quarterly team meetings, meant they were supported in their roles.

We found meal times to be a positive experience, with people being supported to eat where they chose. Staff engaged in conversation with people and encouraged them throughout the meal, providing support to those that required it as per their care plan. Food and fluid charts had been used where people had specific nutritional or hydration needs, with clear guidance in place for staff to follow.

Throughout the inspection we observed positive and appropriate interactions between the staff and people who used the service. Staff were seen to be caring and treated people