This inspection took place on the 6 and 7 September 2016. Our visit on the 6 September was unannounced.

We last inspected the home in June 2013. At that inspection we found that the service was meeting all the regulations we assessed.

The Coppice is a privately owned care home situated approximately one mile from Oldham Town Centre. It is a large detached property set within a walled garden, which has been extended and modernised to provide accommodation for 42 people and provides both long and short-term residential and nursing care. All but two of its bedrooms are en-suite and the accommodation is on two floors with a passenger lift providing access to the top floor. Each floor has its own dining room and there are several lounges. The property is surrounded by a large garden containing shrubs, trees and lawn. There is a patio area with garden furniture, which is easily accessible to wheelchair users.

When we visited the service a registered manager was in place. 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.

Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding matters and people we spoke with felt those living at the home were safe and that they were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs. Recruitment checks had been carried out to ensure that all staff were suitable to work in a care setting with vulnerable people.

Medicines were safely administered by staff who had received appropriate training.

The home was well-maintained and decorated and was clean and free from unpleasant odours. Systems were in place for the prevention and control of infections. Environmental and equipment checks were up-to-date.

Staff had undertaken a variety of training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge required for their roles. Staff supervision was undertaken regularly.

People had their nutritional needs monitored and there were sufficient staff to help those people who needed support with eating. The home was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and where people were deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment the appropriate deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) were in place.

People we spoke with were very complimentary about the staff and we saw kind and positive interactions between staff and people who used the service. A range of activities were available for people to take part in.

Care records contained appropriate information to guide staff on the care and support of people who lived at the home. These were reviewed regularly to ensure the information was up-to-date. People were supported to maintain good health and where needed, were referred to specialist healthcare professionals.

Quality assurance processes such as audits were in place to ensure that the service delivered good quality care.

From our observations during the inspection we saw that the home was well-managed and that the registered manager was knowledgeable about all aspects of the management of the home.