High Lea House is a residential care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 29 older people. At the time of our inspection, 21 people were living at the home.

The provider is registered as an individual and therefore is not required by law to have a separate registered manager. 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 the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

People still felt safe living at High Lea House. Staff understood how to recognise, respond to and report abuse. The risks to people had been assessed, recorded and plans were in place to manage these and keep people safe. Staffing arrangements at the home meant people's individual needs could be met flexibly and safely. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed from trained staff.

Staff received the training and support required to work safely and effectively. People’s consent to care was sought by staff and their wishes respected. People had enough to eat and drink and were supported to choose amongst the range of food and drink on offer. People had support to access healthcare services when needed.

Staff adopted a kind and compassionate approach to their work at High Lea House. People's involvement in decision-making that affected them was encouraged. People’s rights to privacy and dignity were understood and promoted by staff.

People received care and support that reflected their individual needs and requirements. They were supported to spend time in ways they found enjoyable and stimulating. People and their relatives knew how to raise complaints with the provider, and felt comfortable doing so.

People, their relatives and the community professionals involved in people’s care had open communication with the provider and staff team. Staff felt valued, well supported and clear what was expected of them at work. The management team completed audits and checks to monitor and improve the quality of the service people received.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We talked with people who lived in the home and they said that they were well looked after. They said the staff always asked them how they would like things to be done. They said staff were always mindful of their privacy and treated them with respect.

People told us that they felt able to raise any issues with the manager or staff should they have any concerns. Staff spoke of their awareness of how to keep people safe from harm. Staff told us about the training that the home had arranged for them to attend so that they would recognise abuse and how to report it.

People told us that staff were always available when they needed help. They said that the staff were friendly and always acted professionally. One person said, “The staff are very pleasant” and another said, “They’re all very good”.

We spoke with six people who lived at High Lea House and two relatives. We also spoke to the manager, three members of staff and a visiting healthcare professional. There were 24 people living at the home on the day of the inspection.

People were satisfied with the way they were looked after at High Lea House. One person said, "It's lovely here". Visitors were encouraged and made welcome.

We observed staff treating people with dignity and respect. People were supported to make choices and have control of their own lives as far as possible.

Care plans contained clear guidance for staff on people's needs and how these should be met. This was done in a way that reflected people's individuality and preferences.

The service provided a homely environment that people liked.

Systems were in place to make sure that checks were made when new staff started working at the service to make sure that they were suitable. Staff felt very well supported by the management team.

The service supplied people with information about how to raise any concerns and complaints.

We spoke to 11 people who used the service, two staff and visitors.

People who used the service told us they enjoyed living at this home and that they considered it a very nice place to be. They told us that staff involved them in discussions about their care. They said their views were always taken into account in the way the service was run on a day to day basis. Peoples’ comments were:

“This is a comfortable, homely place”.

“The food is very nice.”

“Everyone seems happy, looked after well, staff explain things very well”.

People said their privacy and dignity was always respected and they were helped to be as independent as they could be. They said that staff made a difference to their lives.

A visitor told us they were happy with their relative’s bedroom and the care they received. They explained that they could either remain in the privacy of their own room or join other people in the lounges.

The inspection was carried out on 18 August 2015 and was unannounced.

High Lea House, Oswestry is registered to provide accommodation with personal care for up to 29 older people. There were 21 people living at the home on the day of the inspection.

There was a registered manager in post who was present during our inspection. 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.

The home was last inspected on the 14 October 2013 and was found to meet the regulations. At this inspection we found that they continued to meet the requirements of the regulations.

People felt safe and there were enough staff to meet their needs. Staff had received training on how to keep people safe, they knew how to identify signs of abuse and who to report any concerns to. Staff had access to detailed care plans and risk assessments and were aware of how to protect people from harm. Risks were managed appropriately promoting people’s choice and independence.

Staff knew how to deal with accidents or incidents and these were overseen by the registered manager who took appropriate action to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. Checks had been made to ensure new staff were suitable to work with people living at the home before they started work there.

People received their medicines safely and when they needed them. The provider had systems in place to ensure ongoing safe management of medication. People had access to health care professional as and when they required.

People’s nutritional health needs had been assessed and they were given a choice of what they would like to eat and drink. People told us they enjoyed the food and we observed they were given support where required.

People told us that staff were kind and caring and there was always someone around to help them. People were treated people with dignity and respect and their independence was promoted. Relatives found staff friendly and approachable and felt that was nice atmosphere at the home

Staff sought people’s consent before they supported them and encouraged people to make decisions for themselves. Staff knew people well and were aware of their needs, preferences, likes and dislikes. People were able to choose how they spent their time and staff respected their choice. People told us they got the chance to go out on occasional trips and that they enjoyed these events.

People and their relatives had not found reason to complain but were confident to speak with staff and management if they had any concerns or complaints.

The register manager had systems in place to gather feedback and monitor the quality of care provided.