Cameron House Care Home is based in Bury, Lancashire. The home is registered to provide nursing and residential care for up to 40 older people. On the day of the inspection there were 37 people accommodated at the home.

At the last inspection the service was rated overall Good. This was an unannounced inspection which took place on the 7 March 2016. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service was meeting all the relevant fundamental standards. People who used the service told us they felt safe and well cared for. Staff members felt supported in their roles and were adequately trained to meet the needs of people who used the service. 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.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Cameron House Care Home is based in a residential area of Bury, close to the town centre and to public transport. People are accommodated on two floors and access to the first floor is via stairs or a passenger lift. There is a small garden to the front of the home and a large well maintained garden to the rear. The home is registered to provide nursing and residential care for up to 40 older people.

This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 6 February 2015. There were 31 people using the service at the time of this inspection. We last inspected the home on 21 August 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the regulations that we reviewed.

The home had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who was present on the day of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

We saw that people who used the service had detailed care plans to guide staff on the care that was needed. People also had a summary care plan that contained basic care needs and this was left in their bedrooms so that staff had accessible up to date information. We found however there was conflicting inaccurate information in one of the summary care plans we looked at. Failing to have accurate information placed the person’s health and welfare at risk of harm.

We also found that staff did not always record on people’s care charts when they had undertaken any care or treatment. To ensure the health, welfare and well-being of people, all care and treatment delivered must be recorded to ensure that people have received the care required and prescribed.

We identified there was a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 which corresponds to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

People who used the service told us they were well looked after and felt safe living at Cameron House. People spoke positively of the kindness and caring attitude of the staff and told us they enjoyed the activities that were provided.

We found people were cared for by sufficient numbers of suitably skilled and experienced staff who were safely recruited. We saw that staff received the essential training and support necessary to enable them to do their job effectively and care for people safely.

Staff we spoke with had a very good understanding of the needs of the people they were looking after. We saw people looked well cared for and there was enough equipment available to promote people’s safety, comfort and independence.

Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of the whistle blowing procedures and they knew what to do if an allegation of abuse was made to them or if they suspected that abuse had occurred. Staff were also able to demonstrate their understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS); these provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

We found the medication system was safe and we saw how the staff worked in cooperation with other healthcare professionals to ensure that people received appropriate care and treatment.

Food stocks were good and the meals provided were varied and nutritionally balanced. People told us there was always a choice of meals, they enjoyed the food and they had plenty to eat.

All areas of the home and garden were accessible and well maintained and systems were in place to deal with any emergencies such as fire.

There were opportunities for people who used the service and their relatives to comment on the quality of care provided. Regular meetings took place that enabled people to discuss the facilities and services provided within the home. The complaints procedure was clearly displayed and people told us they would have no problems raising any issues of concern if they needed to.

During the inspection, we spoke with four people who use the service and the relative of another person using the service. They told us they were happy with the care they received and that they were looked after well.

The comments received included “The girls look after me smashingly” and “I think his care here is brilliant. The staff are so kind and caring.”

People's care records were kept secure and contained enough information to show how they were to be supported and cared for. The records we looked at were complete and up to date, with no missing information and few documentation errors. They also showed that people gave consent to their care and treatment. Systems were in place to protect people who lacked the capacity to make decisions about their own care and support.

People were cared for by a sufficient number of staff that were properly qualified, skilled and experienced to meet people’s needs. The people we spoke with were very positive about the staff at the home. The comments received included “The staff look after me properly” and “They always do things for me when I ask.”

Regular monitoring of the services and facilities provided was in place to help protect people against the risks of inappropriate or unsafe care.

People told us what it was like to live at this home and described how they were treated by staff and their involvement in making choices about their care. They also told us about the quality and choice of food and drink available. This was because this inspection was part of a themed inspection programme to assess whether older people living in care homes are treated with dignity and respect and whether their nutritional needs are met.

The inspection team was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector joined by an Expert by Experience who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We asked five people living at the home about the care they received. Each person told us that staff were polite, helpful and generally unrushed. Comments included: "The staff are all smashing, and lovely to me." "You just can't fault it." "Staff work very fast to help everyone."

People were very complimentary about the care they received. Some of the comments were:

“I love it here and I wouldn’t go anywhere else”. “I loved it from day one”.

“I wouldn’t be without them”.

“I like it here as there is plenty to do and the staff are very nice”.