Claremont Residential Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 34 older people. At the time of the inspection 29 people were living at the service.

The inspection took place on 11 January 2019 and was unannounced.

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.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from harm and people told us they felt safe. Care plans contained risk assessments and informed staff how to reduce the risk of harm to people.

Safe recruitment procedures were followed and there was enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

In the main, medicines were managed safely.

Staff had been trained to carry out their roles and received regular support.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. Although people gave mixed feedback about the quality of food, this was an issue the provider was aware of.

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.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff. Staff understood how to maintain people’s privacy and dignity.

Care plans were person centred and included details of people’s preferences for how they wanted to be supported. People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends.

All the people and visitors we spoke with and all the staff spoke highly of the registered manager and the level of support and leadership they provided. There were quality assurance processes in place.

Regular feedback was sought from people and staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Claremont Residential Home provides care for up to 34 people. Some people live permanently at the service whilst others are receiving respite care. On the day of the inspection there were 32 people living at the service.

The inspection took place on 12 and 13 April 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors. At our last inspection in August 2013, we did not identify any concerns.

A registered manager was employed by the service. 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 we spoke to were positive about the care they received and praised the quality of the staff and management. People’s relatives spoke highly about the care and support for them or their relative and freely praised staff.

The registered manager and staff at all levels of the service we spoke with were passionate about providing care which was tailored to people’s needs and choices. Throughout our visit we saw people were treated in a kind and caring way and staff were friendly, polite and respectful when providing care and support to people.

People told us they felt safe when receiving care. Individual risk assessments were in place and staff we spoke with knew what to do if they were concerned about the safety and well-being of any of the people using the service.

People were actively involved in developing their care plans and these contained information on their preferred routines, likes, dislikes and medical histories. Staff used these care plans to guide them in supporting people’s needs.

Staff had the knowledge and training to support people and had received a thorough induction when they started working for the service. They told us that as part of the induction process they had read all the care plans for people and spent time being introduced to people and shadowed experienced staff. They demonstrated a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities as well as the values of the service. Staff were also supported to carry out their role through regular supervisions and training.

Staff recruitment records showed relevant checks had been completed before staff worked unsupervised. These included employment references and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. The DBS helps employers to make safer recruitment decisions by providing information about a person’s criminal record and whether they are barred from working with vulnerable adults.

People who lived at the home and staff were encouraged to be involved in regular meetings to share their views and concerns about the quality of the service. The registered manager also sought the views of relatives and professionals. The provider and registered manager had systems in place to monitor how the service was provided, to improve the quality of care provided.

People were offered appropriate food and fluids to maintain their nutrition. People had a varied diet and were offered choices in terms of food and drink and spoke positively about the food.

Medicines were managed safely and administered by trained staff. People were also supported to access health care services.

People were able to make specific choices and decisions about their daily life. Staff had put in place support for people when needed to ensure decisions were made in their best interest within the legal framework.

Quality assurance systems were in place to regularly monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager worked with external services and organisations to share best practice and support.

The home was well maintained and clean. There was sufficient communal space to meet the needs of those who lived there with outdoor seating available during good weather. A new lift was being installed to improve efficiency as the old one was deemed to be unsuitable.

People were asked to give consent before care and support was provided. They were involved in and agreed to their plans of care and their privacy and dignity was respected. The home assessed people’s capacity to give consent and if this was not possible other significant people were involved in decision making.

People’s needs were assessed and care plans were drawn up to guide staff on how to support people to meet their needs. Health was monitored and interventions were made when needed. A range of activities were provided including in house entertainment and trips.

The menu was varied and well balanced and people told us they liked the food provided. Where appropriate there was monitoring of food and fluid intake and appropriate steps were taken to ensure that people maintained a healthy weight.

People were supported by sufficient staff that had been recruited to ensure they were suitable to meet the needs of vulnerable people. Staff were proud to work at Claremont and clearly enjoyed their work.

There was a system in place to ensure that people’s complaints were addressed. The home had not received any complaints in the last year. We saw letters of thanks and compliments about the service.

People said they were happy living at Claremont Residential Home. One person said the “staff are always very kind and considerate".

A visitor we spoke with said they were happy with their relative’s care as it suited them and they had “never had any cause for concern”.

A visiting health professional told us they felt people were “well looked after”. They added that they felt staff knew people well and were helpful. They said they never had any concerns about the care provided

We saw compliments received by the home. One person’s relative wrote “I think the staff are the most caring and competent workers I have ever known”. Another person said “I would like to thank you, the care manger and all your staff for the wonderful care you gave my mother”.

Staff told us how much they liked working in the home. They said they felt supported by their peers as well as by the management of the home.