Colliers Croft is a modern purpose-built care home situated in the residential area of Haydock. The service provides residential care for up to 60 people including people who live with dementia. There are three floors accessed via stairways and passenger lift. All rooms are for single occupancy and have a wet room ensuite facility. At the time of our visit there were 59 people living at the service.

At the last inspection in December 2014 the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People told us they felt safe living at Colliers Croft and were well supported by staff. One visiting relative told us “There’s plenty of staff about, the doors are locked and people’s rooms are secure”.

The registered provider had appropriate systems in place for the management of safeguarding concerns. Staff had received training and understood their responsibilities to report abuse and unsafe care practices.

Staff were safely recruited, they had received appropriate training and told us they were well supported. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of the people they supported. Our observations and discussions with staff, people living at the service and their relatives confirmed sufficient staff were on duty.

Medicines were safely stored and administered by competent staff.

People and their relatives where appropriate were fully involved in the development of their care plans and risk assessments. These documents were individualised and reviewed and updated regularly.

The registered manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

People were offered a variety and choice of meals and had access to regular snacks and drinks throughout the day.

Found the building was well maintained, clean and free from unpleasant odours. All equipment was well maintained and regularly serviced.

People living at the service and their relatives knew how to raise a concern or complaint. People and their relatives were regularly invited to give feedback about various areas of the service.

The registered provider undertook regular audits to assess and monitor the quality of the service. Staff and people’s views were sought through staff and residents meetings.

This was an unannounced inspection, carried out on 03 December 2014.

Colliers Croft Care Home provides accommodation, care and support for up to 60 people. The home is newly built and designed for use as a care home. Local shops and other amenities are a short distance away from the home and there are good public transport links close by. At the time of our inspection there were 59 people living at the home.

The service has 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.

The last inspection of Colliers Croft was carried out in May 2014 and we found that the service was not meeting all the essential standards that we assessed. During this inspection we found the required improvements had been made.

People told us they felt safe living at the home and family members told us they had no concerns about their relative’s safety. Procedures for reporting abuse were in place and staff knew how to report any concerns they had about people’s safety. Staff had a good understanding of the different types of abuse and were confident about reporting abuse.

People told us that the staff were polite, kind and caring and during our visit we saw that staff were respectful towards people. Family members told us that staff were caring, patient and attentive. Staff told us they would not hesitate to raise concerns and were confident that their concerns would be dealt with quickly.

We found that staff met people’s needs. People were offered regular drinks and a choice of food. Staff had good knowledge of people’s dietary needs and they ensured people received the support they needed to eat and drink.

An assessment of people’s care and support needs was carried out prior to their admission to the home and care plans were in place for their identified needs. The plans provided staff with instructions about how people’s needs were to be met and how to keep people safe.

People who used the service and their family members told us they thought that the service was well managed and that the manager was approachable and supportive. Systems were in place to check on the quality of the service and ensure improvements were made. These included obtaining the views of people about the quality of the service and carrying out regular audits on areas of practice and the environment.

Recruitment processes were thorough and ensured staff were suitable to work in a care setting. There were sufficient qualified, skilled and experienced staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Staff worked well with health and social care professionals to make sure people received the care and support they needed. People were referred onto to the appropriate service when concerns about their health or wellbeing were noted. Medication was managed safely and people received their prescribed medication on time. Staff had information about how to support people with their medicines.

Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager and staff had knowledge and an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their roles and responsibilities linked to this. They were able to tell us how they ensured decisions were made in people’s best interests.

The premises was accessible, clean, safe and well maintained and staff were aware of their responsibilities for ensuring people were protected against any environmental hazards. Staff were familiar with the procedures which were in place for responding to emergencies and they were confident about dealing with an emergency situation.

The inspection was an out of hours inspection carried out by two adult social care inspectors.

During the inspection the team worked together to answer five key questions;

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well-led?

This is a summary of what we found –

Is the service safe?

Staff checked on people to make sure they were safe and they took appropriate action when people presented as unwell.

Is the service effective?

People received care and support from staff who knew them well and people were supported with their preferred routines. Some people's records did not accurately reflect their needs and how they should be met.

Is the service caring?

Staff reassured people and made sure they were comfortable and warm.

Is the service responsive?

Staff responded promptly by calling on other healthcare professionals when they had concerns about a person's health and wellbeing.

Is the service well-led?

The provider had instructed staff to carry out and keep a record of hourly checks on people during the night, however the records were not properly maintained.

Collier’s Croft Care Home provides accommodation, care and support for up to 60 people. At the time of the inspection, 60 people were living in the home. The home was newly built and had been designed for use as a care home. The home was registered with the Care Quality Commission in August 2013.

The home was arranged over three floors, each of which was self contained. The ground and first floor of the building were allocated to people whose primary care needs were related to a diagnosis of dementia. The second floor was allocated to people who required general residential care and support.

We found that care records were not always fully and accurately completed, and that care was not always planned and delivered to meet the needs of people using the service. This had not been identified through the quality checks in place at the home. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

The home had an experienced registered manager. People spoke positively about the approach of staff and managers. There were enough staff, and staffing cover was provided when needed.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS had been considered and applications made appropriately.

People’s needs were assessed and people were involved in making decisions about their care wherever possible. Where people were not able to make decisions about their care, staff worked with their relatives and other professionals to make sure ‘best interest’ decisions were agreed.