This inspection took place on 04 and 06 July 2016 and was unannounced. This was our first inspection of this home.

Dunsland House is a residential home in Berkhamstead, providing care and accommodation for people over the age of sixty-five who require nursing or personal care. There were fifteen people who lived at the home at the time of our inspection some of whom lived with dementia.

The home has a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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.

The ground floor area of the home which included the main lounge, dining area, office and hallway was being refurbished at the time of our inspection. The provider had carried out a risk assessment of this refurbishment and ensured that the area that was being refurbished were cornered off and not accessible to people during the time that work was being done.

People who lived at the home were safe because the provider had taken appropriate measures to safeguard them from avoidable harm. These included the safe recruitment and training of staff who supported people, the completion of risk assessments of the home environment and that of the care people received, and the effective management of people’s medicines and healthcare needs.

The service was not always effective because appraisals of staffs’ performance were not completed. The registered manager told us that this would be completed before the end of 2016, and following the inspection, they provided us with evidence that demonstrated they had commenced the process for appraisals. The staff were however trained, skilled and understood their roles.

Staff supported people to eat a healthy and balanced diet and to have access to health and care services when necessary. They sought people’s consent before they provided any care or support and understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were cared for by staff that were friendly, kind and caring. They supported people in ways that promoted their privacy, dignity and respected their views. They provided the support that was personalised to people and with support from the management team, they ensured people’s complaints and concerns were resolved.

The registered manager with support from the provider ensured the service ran appropriately providing visible leadership and oversight at all levels. This ensured the provision of a good level of care and support to the people who lived at the home.