Greenhill Care Home is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 67 older people some of whom live with dementia within a purpose built unit within the home. At the time of our inspection there were 64 people living at the home.

The inspection took place on 13 October 2016 and was unannounced.

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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.

People received care and support that met their needs while encouraging their independence. Risk assessments were in place for all aspects of people’s lives and these helped to ensure that people’s choices were not restricted. People felt safe living at the home and staff knew how to respond to any concerns that may affect people’s wellbeing. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited through a robust process. People’s medicines were managed safely and where possible people were encouraged to manage their own medicines.

Staff received a robust induction and on-going training to help ensure they had the appropriate skills for their role and further development opportunities were made available. People only received care once they had provided their consent and for those people unable to provide this, staff followed the appropriate procedures. People were provided with a variety of food and staff ensured people at risk of weight loss were appropriately monitored and supported. People had access to health and social care professionals as needed, and when they requested them.

People were treated with dignity and their privacy was promoted. People were involved in planning and developing their care and people’s confidentiality was promoted. People were able to pursue their individual interests as well as engage in meaningful activities both within the home and in the local community. People knew how to make a complaint, and where complaints were raised these were responded to promptly.

People were positive about the management of the home and the views of people were sought in relation to the management of the home. A robust system of auditing, monitoring, reviewing and improving the quality of service was in place, and the registered manager clearly led a service that promoted a positive and open culture.

The people we spoke with including a number of relatives said that they were happy with the service they received. One person said “I am well looked after. The staff are caring and helpful”. Another person said “I am satisfied with the quality of care I receive. We have a variety of activities provided and sometimes I join in”. A relative said "We are very happy with the care and support given to our mother and the staff are very kind and helpful. We do not have any concerns or complaints”.

We found that the provider was meeting the standards we had inspected. People and their relatives had been consulted on the care and support they needed. People received care and support in line with their agreed care plans. We noted that there was a system for the safe management of medicines and there were arrangements in place for assessing and monitoring the quality of the service provided by the home by seeking the views of people who lived there. Their comments indicated that they were fully satisfied with the quality of care they received. Records and confidential files had been kept safely and securely.

The provider and staff demonstrated they were aware of people’s cultural needs and for ensuring equality and valuing diversity.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service. This was because some people had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us about their experiences. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We observed positive and respectful interaction between the people who live at Greeenhill Care Home and the staff who supported them. There was a calm atmosphere and people were being encouraged to engage with their surroundings and the activities taking place. One person we spoke with who had recently moved in. They said the staff ‘can’t do enough for you’, they ‘understand me’, ‘you can’t fault it’, ‘the treatment is marvellous’. This was repeated by another person who said the staff ‘do all they can for you’ and it was ‘all very good’.

During our visit we were able to speak with four relatives. They were positive about the service their relatives had been provided with. People told us that the home was spotless and commented on the landscaped gardens and country house style of the accommodation. The visitors we spoke with confirmed they were kept up to date with any changes in their relative’s health or well-being.