Hanford Court Care Home is a residential care home for up to 61 older people, some of who are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 54 people living in the home. At the last inspection, in February 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

People continued to receive safe care. There were enough staff to support them and they were recruited to ensure that they were safe to work with people. People were consistently protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely.

The care that people received continued to be effective. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff received training and support to be able to care for people well. They ensured that people were supported to maintain good health and nutrition.

People continued to have positive relationships with the staff who were caring and treated people with respect and kindness. There were lots of opportunities for them to get involved in activities and pursue their interests. Staff knew them well and understood how to care for them in a personalised way. There were plans in place which detailed peoples likes and dislikes and these were regularly reviewed. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and the provider had implemented effective systems to manage any complaints that they received.

People and their relatives were included in developing the service and found the manager approachable. There were quality systems in place which were effective in continually developing the quality of the care that was provided to them.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

We inspected Hanford Court Care Home on 24 and 25 February 2015. The inspection was unannounced.

The provider is registered to provide accommodation, personal and nursing care for up to 61 people. This includes care for people with physical needs and dementia care needs. At the time of our inspection, 59 people used the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The provider was compliant at our last inspection of the service on 18 June 2014.

People were protected from the risks of abuse because staff understood what constituted abuse and took action when people were at risk of harm. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs. People’s care needs was planned and reviewed regularly to meet their needs. Their care records reflected the care they received.

People were cared for by staff that had the knowledge and skills required to care and support them. Care staff demonstrated a good knowledge of the care needs of people and how high quality care could be provided. Staff had regular training, and were supported to have additional training which was specific to their roles and responsibilities.

Legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 were followed when people were unable to make certain decisions about their care. People liberties were not unlawfully restricted. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the DoLS set out the requirements that ensure where appropriate; decisions are made in people’s best interest.

People were supported to have adequate amounts of food and drink. Staff were proactive when they identified that people were at risk of weight loss, and ensured that these people were supported in a sensitive manner to eat and drink. A variety of food was offered at meal times and people could choose what they wished to eat or drink. Meal times were viewed as a social event which people looked forward to.

People had access to other health care professionals and were supported to attend healthcare appointments when they needed it. A GP came to the service regularly to review people’s care and took appropriate action when concerns were identified. Other complementary therapies were provided at the home to promote the general wellbeing of people.

There was a visible culture of person-centred care at the service. The provider had devised various ways of ensuring that people’s individual needs were met in order for the environment to feel as homely as possible. People were supported to be as independent as possible.

People were treated with dignity and respect. People told us the staff were kind and treated them with dignity and respect. The service provided exceptional care to people and their families before and after death.

Best practice guidance was used in the care of people who lived with dementia. The environment was designed to be ‘dementia friendly’.

People’s care plans were tailored to meet their individual needs. Care plans detailed how people wished to be cared for and these wishes were respected. People’s care was planned in partnership with them. Their relatives were actively involved in their care.

The service demonstrated a strong value to promote people’s personal interests and hobbies. Creative ways were used to enable the people who used the service to achieve fulfilling lives. Social activities were organised to be in line with people’s personal interests and there was a lively atmosphere at the service. The service had strong links with the local community.

People told us they did not have any concern nor had anything to complain about. However, they said they knew how to raise concerns and were confident that their concerns would be dealt with. People were encouraged to give feedback about the service. The provider had an effective system in place for dealing with concerns or complaints.

People who used the service, their relatives and the staff were very complimentary about the registered manager of the service. People told us that they were accessible and approachable. A positive and open culture was promoted at the service. People who used the service and staff were encouraged and supported to provide feedback on the service. The provider had effective systems in place to review the quality of the service provided.

Hanford Court Care Home provides accommodation over three floors. The ground floor provides residential accommodation for people with minimal care needs. Floors one and two provide accommodation for people with more complex needs.

We saw that people were treated with respect by the staff that cared for them. One person said, "When I first came to look at the home I thought it was a four star hotel, and it’s lived up to that”. A member of staff told us, “It’s nice here. We treat the people well and they appreciate it and are nice to us. Everyone is happy”.

Care was planned and delivered in a way which kept people safe and protected their rights.

There were systems in place to ensure the safe storage and administration of drugs.

Staff had the required skills and experience to enable them to provide appropriate care.

Audits and surveys were conducted which enabled the management team to monitor, analyse and respond to issues and people’s needs.