Evelyn May House is a residential care home for up to 59 older people some of whom may be living with dementia. When we inspected there were 57 people living in the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated good and at this inspection we found the service remains good.

People were protected from the risk of harm and received a safe service. There were enough staff who had been safely recruited to help keep people safe and meet their needs and preferences. The service managed medication well and people received their medication as prescribed.

People were cared for by supported, experienced and well trained staff. They had the support they needed to have as much choice and control over their lives in the least restrictive way possible. People received sufficient food and drink to meet their needs and preferences and their healthcare needs were met.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate in their approach and knew the people they cared for well. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible and staff supported them when necessary. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and maintained their privacy at all times.

People and their relatives were fully involved in the assessment and care planning process. Care plans had been regularly reviewed to reflect people’s changing needs. There was a range of activities available to suit individual’s interests. Complaints had been dealt with appropriately in a timely manner.

People were positive about the quality of the service. The registered manager and staff were committed to providing people with good quality person centred care that met their individual needs and preferences. There were good systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and to drive improvements. The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on the 21January 2015.

Evelyn May is one of a number of services owned by Runwood Homes Limited. The service provides care and accommodation for up to 59 people who need assistance with personal care and may have care needs associated with living with dementia.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manager 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 showed a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and were clear about the actions they would take to protect people. People were kept safe and risk assessments had been completed to show how people were supported with every day risks. People’s medication was well managed and the service had systems in place to help ensure people received their medication as prescribed.

Recruitment checks had been carried out before staff started work to ensure that they were suitable to work in a care setting. There were sufficient numbers of skilled, well trained and qualified staff on duty. Staff told us that they felt well supported to carry out their work and had received regular supervision and training.

People were supported to be able to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. They told us that the food was good and said that they were able to choose alternatives if they were not happy with the choices offered on the menus.

People were supported to maintain good healthcare. People had access to a range of healthcare providers such as their GP, dentists, chiropodists and opticians. The service kept clear records about all healthcare visits.

People had agreed to their care and that they had been asked how they would like this to be provided. They were treated with dignity and respect and staff provided care in a kind, caring and sensitive manner. Detailed assessments had been carried out and care plans were developed around the individual’s needs and preferences.

The Care Quality Commission monitors the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and are required to report on what we find. The MCA sets out what must be done to make sure the human rights of people who may lack mental capacity to make decisions are protected. The DoLS are a code of practice to supplement the main MCA code of practice. The registered manager had a good understanding of MCA and DoLS and appropriate documentation had been completed. Mental capacity assessments had been carried out where people were not able to make decisions for themselves. People had agreed to their care.

People knew how to complain. The service had a clear complaints procedure in place which was clearly displayed. This provided information on the process and the timespan for response. We saw that complaints had been recorded and any lessons learned from them had been actioned.

The service had an effective quality assurance system. Meetings had been held for the people living at the service and for the staff. People felt listened to and that their views and opinions had been sought and the service had made appropriate improvements.

People we spoke with were happy with the care they received at Evelyn May. Those spoken with stated they had been involved in organising their care and received the care they needed.

Those people who were unable to communicate were observed during the day and their body language and facial expressions noted. They appeared relaxed with staff and no concerns were seen or raised. Care staff were observed speaking with people with dignity and respect and involving them in their care. Staff members were viewed helping people to make choices on how they wanted their care provided.

People told us they knew how to raise any concerns. They added they found the manager approachable and could take any concerns they may have to them. Staff spoken with also added that they felt that they could raise any concerns they may have with the manager. One staff member reported that, “There is a good team here, we all work well together.”

Feedback from a health care professional spoken with stated that communication at the home was good. They said that the staff would always refer any concerns they had if there was a problem. They added “The staff team and manager listen and work well together – I have no concerns.”

The environment was well maintained and met people’s needs. The manager was in the process of developing the environment on the second floor and people’s bedrooms to help make it a more stimulating place for those people who are living with some form of dementia.

People with whom we spoke were happy with the care they received at Evelyn May House. Each person had an individual personalised care plan, which identified their care needs and choices. People spoken with stated that the carers provided any care they needed. Staff were observed speaking with residents with dignity and respect and involving them in their care. People appeared relaxed with staff and were viewed making choices on how they wanted their care provided. Staff spoken with confirmed they had enough staff to cover the care required and during our visit at no time were people seen waiting for their care. One relative said that when they visited there seemed to be the same staff, which they felt helped with the care.

People with whom we spoke were happy with the cleanliness and decoration of the home. The lounges were appropriately decorated and the furniture was a good quality. Each bedroom had been well decorated and had personal possessions, such as pictures and ornaments, to make it feel homely.

The home has systems in place to consult with people who use the service, relatives and visitors on the quality of the service provided by the home. Compliments the home had received included “Staff are always friendly and happy.” and a visiting pharmacist stated “It is a happy atmosphere and very caring - staff are always friendly and happy.”

There are systems in place for people to use if they have a concern or are not happy with the service being provided to them. People with whom we spoke said they were happy with the care they received from the staff and knew how to raise any concerns they may have. Compliments the home had received included “I'm very pleased with everything here” and “I would like to compliment the home on the excellent standard of care, the staff are always friendly and helpful. They always demonstrate excellent knowledge and skills in relation to their clients.”

People we spoke with were happy with the care they received at Evelyn May. They stated they had been involved in organising their care and received the care they needed.

During our visit at no time were people seen waiting for staff to support them. Some issues were raised with staffing levels at meal times due to the number of people who needed assistance, but the manager took appropriate action to address this issue.

People we spoke with were complimentary about the care and their comments have been recorded throughout the report. Others who were unable to verbally communicate were observed with staff and they appeared relaxed in their company. Comments included, “In this time where there have been so many bad reports on care homes; it is a real pleasure to find one so caring. I would just like to say a big thank you to you all for making ‘X’ feel happy and secure,” “I would like to thank you for looking after ‘X’, you all do a wonderful job and make life easier for families with loved ones in your care,” and “I would like to compliment the home on the excellent standards of care. The staff are always very friendly and helpful. They also demonstrate excellent knowledge and skills, in relation to their clients.”

People told us they knew how to raise any concerns. Relatives spoken with stated that they found the manager to be approachable and felt they could take any concerns they may have to her.