The inspection took place on 17 August 2016 and was unannounced. This means the provider did not know we were coming. We last inspected Fairmount Nursing Home in November 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting the legal requirements in force at the time.

Fairmount Nursing Home provides nursing and personal care for older people, including some people with dementia-related conditions. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people living at the home.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

We found that there were established systems for protecting people from abuse and avoidable harm. The service responded appropriately to any safeguarding concerns. Measures were in place to prevent risks associated with people’s care. Care was provided in a safe, clean environment.

New staff were checked and vetted before they started working at the home. There was enough experienced staff to provide people with safe and consistent care. Staff were appropriately trained and supported in their personal development.

People were suitably assisted in meeting their health care needs and taking their prescribed medicines. A balanced diet was offered to ensure good nutrition and where necessary, specialist advice was obtained. Support with eating and drinking was provided and people told us they enjoyed the food.

People and their families were consulted about and able to direct the way their care was given. The service upheld people’s rights under mental capacity law when they were unable to make important care decisions. Feedback was sought and any complaints received were properly investigated and resolved.

People and their relatives were happy with the care and spoke highly of the staff. We observed staff were caring in their approach and respectful of people’s privacy and dignity. The service gave people the information they needed and supported them to express their views.

Care was planned according to people’s individual needs and preferences and adapted in response to any changes. A range of activities and good leisure facilities were made available to help people meet their social needs.

The home had a registered manager who was supportive and provided leadership to the staff team. They promoted transparent communication and were committed to improving the service. The quality of the service was checked to make sure standards were being maintained, though we have made a recommendation to reintroduce audits of the management of medicines.

During the inspection we had the opportunity to speak with five people who used the service, a staff nurse, two domestics, two relatives and three staff members.

The people who used the service and their relatives told us they were looked after very well and felt safe with the care and treatment provided. Their comments included: "I like it here", “They are lovely” and “It’s like my family”.

We found that service had appropriate systems in place to ensure consent was gained before staff proceeded with personal care.

We spent time observing the lounges and dining area during the day of our inspection. We looked at how people spent their time and how staff interacted with people.

The interactions we saw between staff and people who used the service and visitors were respectful. We saw some people engaged in activities with members of staff such as arm chair exercises.

During the visit we had the opportunity to speak with four people who used the service and two relatives. Everyone told us they were "more than happy" with the care and support provided at Fairmount. They said the staff were "great and friendly," "approachable and accommodating" and "professional and caring." People told us they could make choices and decisions about how they wanted to spend time at the home and staff encouraged them to be fully involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. A relative told us they were involved in discussions and decisions about their relatives care needs and were kept informed about any changes. They said "my relative loves it here, the staff are so friendly and considerate they will do anything for you they are very courteous." People who lived in the home and their relatives said the food was very good and the home was clean, nice and comfortable.

All the people we spoke to who use services were very complimentary about the care they received from all the staff. They felt actively involved in their care and staff treated them with respect. They felt safe and comfortable in talking to the staff and staff listened to them.