This inspection took place on 8 and 9 August 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the provider and staff did not know we would be visiting.

Church View (Bishop Auckland) is a purpose built, two storey care home in the village of South Church, close to Bishop Auckland. It provides residential care for up to 45 people over two floors. At the time of our inspection 41 people were using the service.

At the last inspection in June 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

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 and their relatives told us the service kept people safe. Risks to people using the service were assessed and plans put in place to reduce the chances of them occurring. The premises and equipment were carefully monitored to ensure they were safe for people to use. Plans were in place to support people in emergency situations. People’s medicines were managed safely. Processes were in place to safeguard people from abuse. Staffing levels were monitored to ensure there were enough staff working to keep people safe.

Staff received mandatory training in a number of areas to support people effectively and were supported with regular supervisions and appraisals. People’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were protected and promoted. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and to access external professionals to maintain and promote their health.

People and their relatives praised staff at the service as kind and caring and spoke positively about the support they provided. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and supported people to maintain their independence, whilst always being on hand to ensure they were safe. Throughout the inspection we saw numerous examples of kind and caring support being delivered by all staff at the service. Procedures were in place to support people to access advocacy services and end of life care where needed.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. People were supported to access activities they enjoyed. Procedures were in place to investigate and respond to complaints.

The manager had informed CQC of most significant events in a timely way by submitting the required notifications. Where this had not happened and was pointed out to the manager they ensured the notifications were made immediately.

Staff spoke positively about the culture and values of the service. Staff described the service as well-led and said they were supported by the manager. The manager had worked to create and maintain a number of links with wider local community. The manager and provider carried out a number of quality assurance checks to monitor and improve standards at the service. Feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff.

This inspection took place on 1, 2 and 4 June 2015 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and the provider did not know we would be visiting. The home was last inspected by CQC on 21 February 2014 and required improvements to meet people’s nutritional needs. The registered provider has changed since our inspection in 2014.

The home had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was not present during our visit however the deputy manager was present and was the acting manager at the time of the inspection.

Church View is a purpose built, two storey care home in the village of South Church, close to Bishop Auckland. It provides residential care for up to 45 older people over two floors. On the day of our inspection there were 43 people using the service.

People who used the service and their relatives were complimentary about the standard of care at Church View. Everyone we spoke with told us they were happy with the care they were receiving and described staff as very kind, respectful and caring.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people using the service. The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff. Training records were up to date and staff received supervisions and appraisals.

There were appropriate security measures in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. The provider had procedures in place for managing the maintenance of the premises.

The layout of the building provided adequate space for people with walking aids or wheelchairs to mobilise safely around the home but could be more suitably designed for people with dementia type conditions.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. We looked at records and discussed DoLS with the manager, who told us that there were DoLS in place and in the process of being applied for.

We saw mental capacity assessments had been completed for people and best interest decisions made for their care and treatment. We also saw staff had completed training in the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People were protected against the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines however the storage of controlled drugs would benefit from further improvement.

We saw staff supporting and helping to maintain people’s independence. People were encouraged to care for themselves where possible. Staff treated people with dignity and respect.

People had access to food and drink throughout the day and we saw staff supporting people in the dining room at meal times when required.

The home had a programme of activities in place for people who used the service.

All the care records we looked at showed people’s needs were assessed. Care plans and risk assessments were in place when required and daily records were up to date.

We saw staff used a range of assessment tools and kept clear records about how care was to be delivered.

We saw people who used the service had access to healthcare services and received ongoing healthcare support. Care records contained evidence of visits from external specialists.

The provider consulted people who used the service, their relatives, visitors and stakeholders about the quality of the service provided.