We inspected this service on 13 October 2016. This was an unannounced inspection and this was our first inspection of the service under our new inspection approach.

The service provides support to 46 older people, some of who may be living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 44 who used the service.

There was a registered manager in the service. 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.

People made decisions about their care and staff helped them to understand the information they needed to make informed decisions. Staff sought people’s consent before they provided care and support. Where people were not able to make decisions for themselves, they were supported to make decisions that were in their best interests with the help of people who were important to them. Assessments to determine capacity had not been carried out to ensure people only made decisions where people no longer had capacity. Where restrictions were placed upon people these had been identified and application made to ensure any restriction was lawful.

People received their medicines at the right time and systems were in place to ensure medicines were managed safely. Accidents and incidents were recorded appropriately and steps taken to minimise the risk of similar events happening in the future.

There was sufficient staff to meet the assessed needs of people who used the service. Many of the staff had worked within the service for many years and knew people well. The staff were kind and treated people with dignity and respect and helped them to make choices about their care. People chose how to spend their time and there was an extensive range of activities in the home for people to join. People continued to spend time with friends and family and visit places in the community.

People told us the staff were kind and treated them with dignity and respect. People’s care was tailored to meet their individual needs. Care plans detailed how people wished to be cared for and supported.

People’s care needs had been assessed and reviewed to ensure they received care to meet their individual needs. The care records detailed how people wished to be cared for and supported and evidenced where people had been involved with any review. Staff received training to meet identified needs and received on-going support to ensure they delivered the correct support.

People were encouraged and supported to eat and drink and there was a varied daily choice of meals. People’s special dietary requirements were met and where concerns were identified, people’s weight was monitored. Health care was accessible for people and appointments were made for regular check-ups as needed.

People were protected from harm as the staff understood their responsibility to safeguard people and knew how to identify risks and how to raise any concern. Risk assessments ensured people could continue to enjoy activities as safely as possible and maintain their independence

People were confident they could raise any concerns with the registered manager or staff and were complimentary about the service provided. The registered manager was approachable and provided support to the staff team. People were encouraged and supported to provide feedback on the service and there were effective systems in place to review and improve the quality of the service provided.

Staff gained consent for care and treatment from people using the service and respected people’s decisions. The staff respected and understood their responsibilities with regards to seeking consent to care.

Staff had a good knowledge of people’s needs and we saw the staff were respectful to people when providing support. People were supported to have their health and personal care needs met and told us they were happy with the care they received. We saw people were dressed in their own style and they told us if they needed support, the staff would help them to continue to take a pride in their appearance. One person said, “The staff are truly wonderful. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and when I need help, they make sure they help the way I want them to.”

Staff felt supported by their manager and received training to enable them to provide good care. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home. One member of staff told us, “I’ve never worked anywhere with such high standards. It’s a pleasure to come to work and everyone is committed to maintaining those standards.”

Each person had their own bedroom and could bring in personal possessions and furniture to decorate their room. People could have a telephone in their room to keep in touch with family and friends. All areas of the home were decorated and furnished to a high standard.

We carried out this inspection to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. The inspection was unannounced which meant the provider and the staff did not know we were coming.

Thirty two people were in residence when we undertook our inspection. We spoke with six people living in the home, two visitors, three staff and the provider.

People's privacy and dignity were respected. We saw staff knocking on people's doors and waiting for an answer before entering. People using the service were happy living at the home. They told us they enjoyed their lives there and they liked the staff who cared for them. One person said, “I think it's excellent, carers are so caring. It's very comfortable, I am never rushed and the staff are respectful.”

Staff knew about the people they were caring for and they felt that the management of the home were supportive and encouraging. One staff member told us, “Support is always on hand, every member of staff is nice, we work as a team.”

We looked at the way medication was managed and saw that medication systems and practices were safe and suitable.

We looked at the recruitment procedures for staff and found that appropriate systems were in place to protect people using the service.

We checked records were stored safely and correctly and systems were as required. This was to ensure people’s confidential information was stored appropriately.