About the service: is a care home providing accommodation, personal care and nursing for up to 70 people. At the time of our inspection there were 66 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received care from staff who knew them well. People told us staff were kind, caring in their approach and promoted their independence.

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.

There was a registered manager who had been in post since July 2018. People, their relative’s and staff were positive regarding the leadership of the service.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided, and to drive improvements where this was required. The service considered people's feedback and was continuously trying to improve the service.

We received mixed views regarding the availability of staff, but we found sufficient staff available during out inspection. The registered manager used a dependency assessment tool to keep staffing levels under review.

Staff and the management team completed a variety of checks. These included the monitoring of people at risk of choking, pressure care and those at risk of inadequate food and fluid intake. The management team agreed to review their approach to the planning of people’s oral and eye care needs and make necessary changes.

Staff had received training relevant to their roles and responsibilities.

The management team worked well to lead the staff team in their roles and ensure people

received a good service. People, their relatives and staff told us leadership of the service had improved, and the management were approachable and that their views were listened to.

There were safe storage and systems in place to ensure medicines were managed safely. We recommended further work was needed to ensure transdermal pain relief medicines were administered as prescribed.

People had access to a variety of nutritious meals and snacks. People’s weights were monitored and specialist advice sought to reduce the risk of malnutrition and swallowing difficulties.

Staff were aware of people's life history and preferences. They used this information to develop positive relationships and deliver person centred care.

Care plans contained explanations of the control measures for staff to follow to keep people safe. We recommended further work was needed to ensure robust planning for oral and eye care.

There was a varied range of social activities on offer. Staff encouraged people to participate in group and one to one activities of interest to the individual.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated Good. (The last inspection report was published on 13 July 2016.)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained Good.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Colne View provides accommodation and personal and nursing care for up to 70 older people. The service is spread across three floors, two of which are staffed by nurses to support people who require nursing care. Ashford is located on the ground floor and provides personal care for older people, on the first floor Bluebridge provides long term nursing care for people and Courtauld is on the third floor and specialises in caring for people living with dementia. Each floor has communal dining and lounge areas. On the day of the inspection 59 people were living in the home.

The service is required to have a registered manager and 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.

The inspection took place on 25 and 26 May 2016 and the first day was unannounced.

On both days of our inspection there was a friendly, pleasant atmosphere in the home. Staff interacted with people in a friendly and respectful way and people were encouraged and supported to maintain their independence and to pursue their interests and hobbies.

We spent time in all areas of the home and people and their visitors were all very complementary about the care and support that they received. Where able, people and their loved ones were involved in planning and reviewing their care. Staff respected people's privacy and were aware of issues of confidentiality.

People and their relatives told us that they felt safe living in Colne View. Staff knew how to safeguard people and were clear about their responsibilities to report safety concerns to the manager and, if required, how to inform outside agencies.

Risk assessments were in place and there were clear plans as to how they should be managed. The safety of the premises was maintained by a robust maintenance and servicing programme.

There were enough staff available to meet people's needs and keep them safe. The service had an effective system in place to recruit staff and to ensure that they were safe to work with the people that lived there.

An induction programme was in place to support new staff when they came into post and the manager supported existing staff through regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals. Care workers received training which enabled them to fulfil their roles and to support people. Nursing staff would benefit from further training on managing areas such as peoples pressure care and we have made a recommendation about this.

People were supported in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and staff acted in people's best interests to ensure their freedom was not unduly restricted. The provider had made applications to the Local Authority (LA) in accordance with DoLS and the MCA and at the time of the inspection was awaiting the outcome of some of those applications.

People's healthcare needs were identified and they were supported to access healthcare. Staff maintained good relationships with healthcare professionals and sought their advice accordingly. Medicines were appropriately administered by staff who had completed the relevant training.

Staff assessed people’s dietary needs and offered them an appropriate choice of food and drink. People were weighed regularly and when necessary referred to healthcare professionals for additional advice and support.

Care plans included information about people’s life story and their needs and preferences. They were regularly reviewed and created with the involvement of the person and their relatives. There were activity co-ordinators in the service who arranged a variety of activities and events in the home as well as excursions out.

We found that the service provided safe care to people. The service was split into three units, one on each floor. Bluebridge and Cortauld units provided nursing care and Ashford unit provided residential care. There were 65 people accommodated within the three units at the time of our inspection.

Care was delivered in an effective manner that met the needs of those using the service. We found that the service had appropriate arrangements in place for obtaining consent to care. The records mostly reflected people’s needs and supported the provision of their care.

We found the service clean and well maintained. We observed staff adopted good infection control techniques and used appropriate protective equipment including aprons and gloves when providing care.

Observations of the staff providing care throughout the inspection demonstrated that the staff cared for the people they supported. We spoke with ten people who used the service, all told us that they felt the care provided was good and no complaints were raised with us. One person told us, “The staff are mostly great, lovely really.” Another told us, “They are top notch here, I cannot fault them.”

Our inspection was conducted on Saturday. We saw that there was effective leadership on duty for each unit on the day of our inspection. This ensured that all people’s needs were met.

People told us that they liked living at Colne View and that staff were supportive and caring. People told us that staff came in a reasonable time when they called for help.

We found that care was provided according to people's assessed needs and people were asked for their views about the service. People were provided with support when needed to help with eating and drinking. There was a good choice and enough food and drinks for people’s needs. We saw there were good arrangements to protect people from abuse. People told us they felt safe living at Colne View, one person said “The staff are sweet and kind to me."

We found that there was sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited appropriately. There were appropriate arrangements to ensure safe administration of people’s medication. The provider had effective systems to deal with complaints.

In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a Registered Manager on our register at the time.