Bellstone Residential Care Limited 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. This service does not provide nursing care. Bellstone Residential Care Limited accommodates up to 22 older people in one adapted building. There were 20 people living in the service when we inspected on 12 January 2018. This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection.

At our last inspection of 8 February 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There were two registered managers 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.

The service continued to provide a safe service to people. This included systems designed to minimise the risks to people, including from abuse, in their daily living and with their medicines. Staff were available when people needed assistance. The recruitment of staff was done safely. The service was clean and hygienic.

The service continued to provide an effective service to people. People were supported by staff who were trained and supported to meet their needs. 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. Systems were in place to assess and meet people’s dietary and health needs and for people to maintain good health and have access to health professionals where needed. The environment was well maintained and suitable for the people living there.

The service continued to provide a caring service to people. People had good relationships with the staff. People were consulted about the care and support that they received.

The service continued to provide a responsive service to people. People received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their individual needs. People were supported to participate in meaningful activities. A complaints procedure was in place. There were systems in place to support people at the end of their life.

The service continued to provide a well-led service to people. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Bellstone Residential Care Limited provides accommodation and personal care for up to 22 older people, some living with dementia.

There were 20 people living in the service when we inspected on 8 February 2016. This was an unannounced inspection.

There were two registered managers 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.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs. Recruitment processes checked the suitability of staff to work in the service. There were arrangements in place to ensure people were provided with the medicines in a safe way.

Staff were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service. The service was up to date with the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People’s nutritional needs were assessed and met. People were supported to see, when needed, health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner.

People were provided with personalised care and support which was planned to meet their individual needs. People, or their representatives, were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

A complaints procedure was in place. People’s comments, concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed promptly. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.

We observed that the staff were attentive to people’s needs. We saw that staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and sought their agreement before providing any support or assistance.

We talked with six of the people who used the service. People told us that they were comfortable and liked living there. One person told us, “I’ve been here long enough to know if I like it, I would have gone if it was that bad.” Another person told us that staff were, “Lovely girls, I couldn’t get better.”

We found that staff were supported through supervision and that they received training essential for caring for older people. Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported.

We found that the service had made suitable arrangements to protect people from the risk of using unsafe equipment by ensuring that equipment was properly maintained and serviced.

The people living in Bellstone Residential Care Limited told us that they liked living there, that the care staff showed them respect and protected their dignity. They also told us that they were comfortable in the service. We spoke to two of the people who share a room and were told by one that, “We were asked if we wanted to share.” and by the other person, “We get on fine together.”