Bearwood House Residential 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. Bearwood House Residential Home is registered to provide support for up to 27 people. At the time of our inspection visit, 22 people were living there. Bearwood House Residential Home is not a purpose built care home. This unannounced inspection visit took place on12 February 2018. It was the first inspection since the provider registered with us on 8 May 2017.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 safe living at the home, and staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from harm and abuse. Risks to individuals were assessed, managed and reviewed. There were enough staff to keep people safe, and the provider followed processes to ensure that suitable staff were employed. Medicines were managed so people were protected from any dangers associated with them, and people were protected by the prevention and control of infection. Lessons were learnt and improvements made when incidents occurred.

People’s needs were assessed and support was given in line with evidence-based guidance. Staff had the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective care for people. People’s nutritional needs were met, and they were supported to access healthcare services. People’s needs were taken into account in relation to the environment. They 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 were caring and compassionate in the way they supported people who used the service. Staff knew people well and understood how to communicate with them. People’s privacy was respected, and their dignity promoted. Visitors were encouraged to visit and people were able to maintain relationships that were important to them.

People received care that was individual to them and responsive to their needs. They were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care, and the records supported staff to offer personalised support to people. Staff supported people to reduce the risk of social isolation. People and their relatives were confident in raising issues or concerns, and the provider responded to these in a timely manner.

There was an open culture within the service and the management team were approachable and available for people and staff. People who used the service, their relatives and staff were encouraged to give feedback about the service. Staff were supported and motivated in their roles. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service, and these were used to drive improvements. The registered manager understood their responsibilities as a registered person and was committed to providing good quality care for people.