This inspection took place on 10 July 2018 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection of this service.

Dignity Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Dignity Residential Care Home can accommodate up to 12 people who require accommodation and personal care. The home consists of one adapted building on one floor, with access to a garden which surrounds the property. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people using the service.

There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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.

People living at Dignity Residential Care Home told us they felt safe. There were enough staff available to care for people safely and we observed staff provide care to people in a timely way. We saw staff were kind and caring and they treated people with dignity and respect.

The service used effective recruitment procedures which helped to keep people safe. Staff also completed a thorough induction and received regular training to support them in their roles. Staff had been trained in safeguarding adults from abuse so they had an understanding of their responsibilities to protect people from harm.

There were effective procedures in place for the safe management and administration of medicines. Staff competency for medicines administration was checked regularly and the registered manager completed a monthly audit of the medicine administration system to ensure the correct procedures were followed by staff.

People living at Dignity Residential Care Home were involved in planning and reviewing their care, to ensure they received the correct level of care and support. People were supported to have maximum control and choice over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People we spoke with and their relatives were very positive about the staff at Dignity Residential Care Home and the care they received. People told us the service was like a “home from home”. We observed positive interactions between people living in the home and the staff, which contributed to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere in the home.

People had access to community based healthcare professionals such as GPs and district nurses. In the care records we checked, we saw people received medical attention when needed.

People, their relatives and the staff all spoke highly of the registered manager. Staff told us the registered manager was very approachable if they needed support. The registered manager completed regular audits of the service to make sure action was taken and lessons were learned when things went wrong. This meant systems were in place to support the continuous improvement of the service.