The inspection took place on 9 February 2018 and was unannounced. Dove House is a care home that provides accommodation with personal care and is registered to accommodate 20 people. The service provides support to older people who may be living with dementia. The accommodation at Dove House is on the ground and first floor and there are three lounge areas and a dining room for people. The home is near the centre of Ashbourne and has a car park for visitors to use. Public facilities and transport services are within easy reach of the home.

Dove House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. At the time of the inspection there were 18 people using the service.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to receive safe care. There were enough staff to support people and staff were recruited to ensure that they were safe to work with people. People were protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely. Lessons were learnt from when mistakes happened.

The care that people received continued to be effective. They 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. Staff received training and support to be enable them to care for people well. People were supported to maintain a diet that met their requirements and they received support from health care professionals to ensure their well-being was maintained. Health concerns were monitored to ensure people received specialist health care intervention when this was needed. The environment met people’s needs.

People continued to have positive relationships with the staff who were caring and treated them with respect and kindness. There were opportunities for people to get involved in activities and pursue their interests. Staff knew people well and understood how to provide the care they wanted. People had a support plan which was reviewed with them and they knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint; all concerns were acted upon.

People were included in developing the service and found the registered manager approachable. There were processes in place for people to express their views and opinions about the service provided. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager worked with other professionals to continue to raise standards in the home and to drive improvement within the care environment.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 10 September 2015 and was unannounced.

There was a registered manager in place at Dove House Residential Home at the time of our inspection. 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 service is registered to provide residential care for up to 16 older people.

The registered manager confirmed improvements would be made to some procedures designed to help ensure protection from and control of infections. Cleaning schedules were followed to ensure all aspects of the home were kept clean.

The registered manager confirmed improvements would be made to ensure staff followed procedures designed to protect people from the risks associated with the management of medicines. We saw other aspects of medicines administration that followed guidelines for the safe handling and management of medicines.

People told us they felt safe and staff had been trained in, and understood how to protect people, should they be at risk of abuse. People and staff were also aware of risks to people and knew what actions to take to reduce these risks. Plans were in place, and staffs’ competency in managing emergency situations, such as a fire, were regularly checked.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available to care for people’s healthcare needs and support people with their interests and hobbies while living at the service.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs and their skills were kept up to date and current through ongoing and regular training. The registered manager had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how people consented to their care and treatment. People told us they enjoyed the food and people’s dietary requirements were catered for and they had access to other health care services as required.

People experienced care and support from staff who enjoyed spending time with them, and who understood them and showed kindness and affection. Staff understood and incorporated the principles of dignity and respect into their work and supported people’s independence. People’s views on their care and support were listened to.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. People were supported to find, and pursue interests and hobbies that were enriching and enjoyable. People’s achievements, experiences, memories and relationships were valued and celebrated. The service routinely invited people’s views into how the service was developing. People we spoke with told us they had been able to contribute ideas to the development of the service.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities, demonstrated an open and approachable management style and was well supported by their staff team. The manager had clear aims and values for the service and promoted a positive, person centred care culture. The service had systems and processes in place to check on the quality and safety of services provided to people using the service.