We carried out this inspection on 1 June 2017. It was unannounced.

Ash Villa is a residential care home for 10 people with dementia, sensory impairment, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of this inspection, 10 people lived at the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the home remained Good.

People told us they felt safe living at the home. At our last inspection we found there were unsuitable lighting and loose ceiling tiles. We found this had been improved at this inspection. Staff understood what abuse was and knew what action to take if they had concerns. Staff were effective in identifying and managing risks to people’s health and well-being and knew how to keep people safe.

Staff were recruited safely and they received a comprehensive induction to the home which gave them the skills required to care for people who lived at Ash Villa.

People received their medicine from trained staff and medicines were given to people safely.

People were supported with their nutritional needs and had a balanced diet. Where possible, people were involved in preparing food and drinks.

People participated in activities they enjoyed. Activities were planned for each person and recorded on a calendar so people knew what they were going to do and when.

People knew how to complain or make their concerns known to staff and the registered manager. The provider sought the views of people, their relatives and staff through surveys.

There were processes to monitor the quality of the care provided. Audits and other checks were done on the environment, fire safety infection control and action was taken when problems were identified.

People’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. People were happy with the care they received from staff and staff knew people’s individual needs well. One person said, “I love it here, they are really friendly.”

People using the service felt safe. Staff were aware of the processes to follow if they had concerns about people’s safety and had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults. Where people communicated through their behaviour, there were plans in place informing staff of what may trigger the behaviour and how they should respond.

The provider had taken steps to provide care in an environment that is suitably designed and adequately maintained. We had a tour of the building and did not find any concerns in relation to the maintenance of the areas we saw. All areas we saw, which included three bedrooms and all communal areas were well maintained, clean and free from odours.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place to ensure staff employed were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Following recruitment, staff were supported to develop their skills and knowledge. Two people we spoke with told us they felt staff knew what they were doing in relation to their work. One person said, “They know how to care for me here.”

We visited Ash Villa on a routine inspection and spoke with people who use the services, relatives and staff during our visit.

People who use the services told us "They are happy to speak to staff about issues" and that they "Have told the manager about problems and they have helped me". People who use the services said that staff helped them to "Decide what I want to do every day and they help me plan my activities".

Relatives told us they found staff to be "Helpful and supportive" and that staff seemed to be "Appropriately trained to look after people living here". Relatives said that their opinions were requested by the care home in questionnaires they received regularly.

We saw that each person’s room was arranged according to their individual wishes and they were able to choose how their rooms were changed when this was required. During our inspection we saw that all signs in the care home had pictures to help people understand the meaning of the notices.

We observed care and treatment being delivered to people during our visit, including an evening meal for people. We saw that staff were able to provide care for people on an individual basis and as part of the staff team on duty during the inspection.

We carried out this responsive inspection because we had concerns that this service had not been visited since 2009. During our visit we spoke with a number of residents who told us they were happy with the care and support they received from staff. One resident told us: “I like living here, most of the staff are nice, my key worker is really good.”

Some of the residents we spoke with told us there was a range of activities they could get involved with. One resident we spoke with told us: “We get to go out a lot to different places.”

All of the residents we spoke with told us that they were well cared for and protected by staff. One resident told us: “I feel safe and secure.”

The provider had a number of ways in which residents could give feedback about the services they received. One resident told us: “We get a news letter and this gives us lots of information.”

We carried out this inspection on 1 June 2017. It was unannounced.

Ash Villa is a residential care home for 10 people with dementia, sensory impairment, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of this inspection, 10 people lived at the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the home remained Good.

People told us they felt safe living at the home. At our last inspection we found there were unsuitable lighting and loose ceiling tiles. We found this had been improved at this inspection. Staff understood what abuse was and knew what action to take if they had concerns. Staff were effective in identifying and managing risks to people’s health and well-being and knew how to keep people safe.

Staff were recruited safely and they received a comprehensive induction to the home which gave them the skills required to care for people who lived at Ash Villa.

People received their medicine from trained staff and medicines were given to people safely.

People were supported with their nutritional needs and had a balanced diet. Where possible, people were involved in preparing food and drinks.

People participated in activities they enjoyed. Activities were planned for each person and recorded on a calendar so people knew what they were going to do and when.

People knew how to complain or make their concerns known to staff and the registered manager. The provider sought the views of people, their relatives and staff through surveys.

There were processes to monitor the quality of the care provided. Audits and other checks were done on the environment, fire safety infection control and action was taken when problems were identified.