Holmwood Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 21 older people. At the time of our inspection 20 people were living at Holmwood. The service is one of a number of services, run by Wessex Care Limited within Wiltshire.

The home was last inspected in February 2015 and was rated good overall. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

A registered manager was employed by the service and was present throughout 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.

People were protected against the risks of potential harm or abuse. Staff had received relevant training and understood their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding people from abuse and harm.

People 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.

Feedback from people, their relatives and staff on their experiences was encouraged by the service and procedures were in place for the registered manager to monitor, investigate and respond to complaints in an effective way.

People were supported to have sufficient to eat and drink and maintain a balanced diet. Feedback from people on the quality and choice of food was positive.

People’s medicines were managed safely. People’s health care needs were managed effectively in response to their changing needs and had access to health and social care professionals as required.

People were supported by sufficient staff with the right skills and knowledge to meet their individual needs. Safe recruitment practices were followed to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role.

There were quality assurance systems in place which enabled the provider and registered manager to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service people received.

People’s dignity, privacy and independence were promoted and people were treated with respect.

People were treated with compassion and kindness in their day to day care. Staff worked well together and had a good understanding of people’s needs including how they expressed their individual needs and preferences.

Care plans were personalised and contained information about the person’s preferences, likes, dislikes and what was important to them. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care and support needs and acted in accordance with the guidance in their care plans.

People had a range of activities they could be involved in which they said they enjoyed. People were supported to form bonds with each other and had good links to the community.

Risks to people and their safety had been identified and actions taken to minimise these. Risk management plans were in place to ensure people received safe and appropriate care.

People 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.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Holmwood is a care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 21 older people. At the time of our inspection 19 people were living at Holmwood. The home was last inspected in September 2013 and was found to be meeting all of the standards assessed.

This inspection took place on 6 February 2015 and was unannounced. We returned on 9 February 2015 to complete the inspection.

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

People who use the service and their relatives were positive about the care they received and praised the quality of the staff and management. Comments from people included, “Staff are excellent and treat me very well. I am able to take part in some activities and to spend time alone if necessary”; and “We are able to do what we want – there are no restrictions”

People told us they felt safe when receiving care and were involved in developing and reviewing their care plans. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse and harm and staff knew how to use them.

Staff understood the needs of the people they were providing care for. People told us staff provided care with kindness and compassion.

Staff were appropriately trained and skilled. They received a thorough induction when they started working for the service. They demonstrated a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities, as well as the values and philosophy of the service. Staff had completed training to ensure the care and support provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. People had regular group and individual meetings to provide feedback about their care and there were robust complaints procedures. One person told us; “The manager is very good, she sorts out any problems we have”.

The provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care provided at Holmwood. The service encouraged feedback from people and their relatives, which they used to make improvements.

The manager of the home told us all the people living in the home had the mental capacity to consent to care. She stated this was assessed by her or a deputy prior to admission to ensure this was in keeping with the homes admission policy. We looked at four care records which confirmed this had occurred.

We spoke with seven people in the home who were all very positive about their experience of living there. One person said “the home is lovely and the food is terrific”, another person told us “it’s certainly never dull here and there is always something going on”.

The provider has taken steps to provide care in an environment that was suitably designed and adequately maintained. We saw the home was in good decorative order and clean throughout. All the stairs and hallways had recently been re-carpeted. Everyone had their own bedroom and these had been furnished with a range of their own furniture and personal items.

We saw the manager maintained a record of training attended by staff during the past year. We saw from this year’s training records staff had a regular training programme to update their knowledge and skills in areas relevant to their role.

We saw a copy of the current complaints procedure on a notice board in the entrance hall. We saw that the information was clear and guided people through the procedure should they wish to make a complaint. There was also information about a local advocacy support service next to the policy and a suggestion box was also in the hall.

People who lived at the home told us staff respected and supported decisions they made about daily life. One person said: “I decide every day whether to eat in my room or go to the dining room.” There were planned opportunities for socialising and sustaining interests.

A person told us: “Staff understand what I need. They don’t try to do other things I don’t need.” People told us they saw a doctor quickly if they needed to. All the people we talked with described staff as kind. Two people told us they sometimes had to wait for staff to be available, which could be uncomfortable.

Care plans were up to date. They showed evidence of agreement by people in the home or family advocates. They were evaluated regularly in a meaningful way.

People felt Holmwood was a safe place to live. We saw staff treat people with respect and courtesy. They were trained to be alert to risks of abuse and to respond appropriately to concerns about people’s safety.

New staff received training in essential skills and values. They shadowed experienced staff, met people in the home and read care plans before working as part of a care shift.

There was an open culture, including meetings for people in the home and their relatives. People told us: “The managers are approachable and interested” and: “They want to know everything is right.” There were regular staff meetings. Staff told us: “They share things openly with us” and: “People have their say. We get good information.”