This inspection took place on 10 February 2016 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection of this home under the present ownership and management.

The Field House is a care home without nursing for up to 21 people, some of whom have dementia. The property is a large, adapted house and accommodation is on three floors with a passenger lift to facilitate access.

At the time of the visit the home 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us that they felt safe in this home. Staff were aware of the need to keep people safe and they knew how to report allegations or suspicions of poor practice.

People were protected from possible errors in relation to their medication because the arrangements for the storage, administration and recording of medication were good and there were robust systems for checking that medication had been administered in the correct way.

People who lived in this home and people’s relatives, told us that they were very happy with the care provided. People had opportunities to participate in a range of activities in the home and community, but if they chose to spend time engaged in hobbies in their rooms, this choice was respected.

People’s relatives and friends were made welcome by staff and there was a quiet area where people could entertain them.

People and, where appropriate, their relatives, were consulted about their preferences and people were treated with dignity and respect.

Staff working in this home understood the needs of the people who lived there. We saw that staff communicated well with each other.

Staff were appropriately trained, skilled and supervised and they received opportunities to further develop their skills.

The manager and staff we spoke with understood the principles of protecting the legal and civil rights of people using the service.

People were supported to have their mental and physical healthcare needs met and were encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The manager sought and took advice from relevant health professionals when needed.

People were provided with a good choice of food in sufficient quantities and were supported to eat meals which met their nutritional needs and suited their preferences.

There was effective leadership from the manager and senior members of staff to ensure that staff in all roles were well motivated and enthusiastic. The manager assessed and monitored the quality of care consistently through observation and regular audits of events and practice.

The manager consulted people in the home, their relatives and visitors to find out their views on the care provided and used this information to make improvements, where possible. The manager checked to see if there had been changes to legislation or best practice guidance to make sure that the home continued to comply with the relevant legislation.