The inspection took place on the 14 and 15 December 2016 and was unannounced.

Dorset House is registered to provide accommodation for up to 42 older people who need nursing care. On the day of our inspection there were 35 people living at the home.

There was a registered manager for this service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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.

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 3 December 2015 when we found there was improvement required with how the service supported people safely. The provider agreed they make the necessary improvements. At this inspection we saw improvements had been made.

People and their relatives said they were happy with the support staff provided. Staff we spoke with were aware of how to recognise signs of abuse, and systems were in place to guide them in reporting these. They were knowledgeable about how to manage people’s individual risks, and were able to respond to people’s needs. People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage them.

Staff had up to date knowledge and training to support people. People's permission was sought by staff before they supported them. When people did not have the capacity to make their own specific decisions these were made in their best interests by people who knew them well and were authorised to do this. Staff met people's care and support needs in the least restrictive way. When it was identified that people received care and support to keep them safe and well which may have restricted their liberty applications had been made to the local authority for authorisation purposes. We saw people had food and drink they enjoyed and had choices available to them, to maintain a healthy diet. People told us they had access to health professionals as soon as they were needed.

People told us staff were caring and promoted people’s independence. They said they were able to maintain important relationships with family and friends. People told us they were supported in a discreet and dignified way. We saw staff treated people with dignity and respect whilst supporting their needs. They knew people well, and took people’s preferences into account and respected them. Staff respected people's rights to make their own decisions and choices about their care and support.

Relatives we spoke with said they felt included in planning the support their relative received and were kept up to date with any concerns. They knew how to raise complaints and felt confident that they would be listened to and action taken to resolve any concerns.

The management team did not consistently action feedback received about the quality of the care provided. People and their relatives had raised concerns about how staff supported them during meetings with the registered manager during the three months before our inspection. Systems in place to monitor service provision did not consistently identify were improvements were needed. Management tools were not always effective to support the registered manager to provide quality care to people living at the home.

The inspection took place on the 14 and 15 December 2016 and was unannounced.

Dorset House is registered to provide accommodation for up to 42 older people who need nursing care. On the day of our inspection there were 35 people living at the home.

There was a registered manager for this service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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.

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 3 December 2015 when we found there was improvement required with how the service supported people safely. The provider agreed they make the necessary improvements. At this inspection we saw improvements had been made.

People and their relatives said they were happy with the support staff provided. Staff we spoke with were aware of how to recognise signs of abuse, and systems were in place to guide them in reporting these. They were knowledgeable about how to manage people’s individual risks, and were able to respond to people’s needs. People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage them.

Staff had up to date knowledge and training to support people. People's permission was sought by staff before they supported them. When people did not have the capacity to make their own specific decisions these were made in their best interests by people who knew them well and were authorised to do this. Staff met people's care and support needs in the least restrictive way. When it was identified that people received care and support to keep them safe and well which may have restricted their liberty applications had been made to the local authority for authorisation purposes. We saw people had food and drink they enjoyed and had choices available to them, to maintain a healthy diet. People told us they had access to health professionals as soon as they were needed.

People told us staff were caring and promoted people’s independence. They said they were able to maintain important relationships with family and friends. People told us they were supported in a discreet and dignified way. We saw staff treated people with dignity and respect whilst supporting their needs. They knew people well, and took people’s preferences into account and respected them. Staff respected people's rights to make their own decisions and choices about their care and support.

Relatives we spoke with said they felt included in planning the support their relative received and were kept up to date with any concerns. They knew how to raise complaints and felt confident that they would be listened to and action taken to resolve any concerns.

The management team did not consistently action feedback received about the quality of the care provided. People and their relatives had raised concerns about how staff supported them during meetings with the registered manager during the three months before our inspection. Systems in place to monitor service provision did not consistently identify were improvements were needed. Management tools were not always effective to support the registered manager to provide quality care to people living at the home.