The inspection took place on 1 February 2017 and it was unannounced.

Ardtully Retirement Residence provides accommodation and personal care for up to 26 older people. On the day of our inspection there were 18 people living in the service.

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.

People told us they felt safe and staff told us they carried out regular checks on people to make sure they remained safe. Care staff knew how to protect people against the risk of abuse and had completed training in safeguarding people so they knew how to recognise abuse and poor practice.

Our observations during the inspection confirmed that staffing levels in the home were appropriate to meet people's needs. Staff members did not start to work at the home until satisfactory employment checks had been completed.

People we spoke with told us they enjoyed living at Ardtully and were very complimentary about the staff who supported them. They told us they enjoyed the food and received good support with their health needs.

People consented to care and had the freedom to make their own choices. People were relaxed in the company of staff. Staff interactions were friendly, respectful and caring.

Meetings were arranged with people who used the service, and their relatives to facilitate feedback about the quality of the service provision. People were confident to raise anything that concerned them with staff or management and satisfied that they would be listened to.

There was clear leadership within the service and the provider carried out regular checks on the quality of care and services to identify any areas that required improvement.