This was the first inspection to the service since a change in registration in November 2016 when Stow Healthcare purchased the home. The inspection was unannounced and carried out on 28 November 2017. We inspected all the key questions.

Ford Place 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. The care home accommodates up to 49 people in one adapted building. The building has both downstairs and upstairs accommodation. The home in a prominent position in the town of Thetford, Norfolk and has created additional parking for the ease of visitors. The home is a listed building, which had been sensitively restored creating a spacious and airy environment.

The service has a registered manager who was a registered nurse. There was also a deputy manager who is a registered nurse and nurses working on each floor. 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.

At this inspection we met with one of the directors of the company who has been referred to as the provider throughout the report.

During our inspection, we found exceptional standards of care. A committed and well-trained group of staff who demonstrated the right values and attributes provided this.

Staff provided seamless care working together to ensure they met people’s needs. We observed kind, compassionate staff spending time with people and their families to ensure peoples well-being and offering support around their individual needs. People were able to retain their interests, routines, and staff fitted in around these. There was good stimulation for people and plenty of opportunities to stay connected to their pasts.

Staff encouraged people to retain their independence and up hold people’s dignity. End of life care was exceptional and demonstrated the value staff placed on people in their care.

People were consulted and their views and experiences shaped the service they were provided. Feedback was acted upon in a positive way which gave people confidence in the service they received. It was responsive to people’s individual needs and the needs of the wider service. The staff survey showed improving results as staff gained more confidence in the provider who was proactive and hands on.

There was documentation recording people's individual care needs and how staff should meet these. This helped to ensure they could continue with their preferred routines and have their choices and preferences met. Staff managed risks to people’s safety well because they identified risk and put plans in place to reduce them as far as possible. Staff monitored people’s health to ensure they did not develop preventable conditions like pressure ulcers.

The home supported people to have positive mental health by encouraging people to stay active and socialise with others. There were planned and spontaneous activities, which took into account people’s individual interests and hobbies. Activities were provided every day of the week and helped prevent social isolation.

Families were involved in the care of a loved one and kept up to date by staff about their well- being. Community engagement was important and the home did a lot of intergenerational engagement between old and young recognising the benefits and potential of doing so. The home reflected the values of an extended family.

Complaints where received were viewed as providing an opportunity to get things right and the staff responded to complaints in a timely constructive way. Outside the process, there were regular opportunities for people and their families to discuss any aspects of their ca