About the service: Homecroft Residential Home is residential care home that provides personal care up to 23 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection 22 people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People said they enjoyed living at Homecroft Residential Home and were very complimentary about the staff who cared for them.

• Staff were respectful to people they cared for and promoted people’s right to independence, dignity and privacy. Staff supported people to make their own decisions about their care and understood how people liked to communicate.

• Staff understood people’s safety needs well and supported them so their individual risks were reduced.

• The registered manager notified CQC about some important events which happened at the home, so they could be sure they were consistently meeting their legal obligations.

• People were receiving their medicines when they should. The provider was following safe protocols for the receipt, storage, administration and disposal of medicines.

• 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

• People were supported to enjoy the best health outcomes possible, and staff were supported to do this by the systems the registered manager had put in place to promote good working with other health and social care professionals.

• Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink so they would remain well.

• People were supported in an individualised way that encouraged to remain as independent as possible.

• People's, their relatives' and other health and social care professional’s views were listened to when people’s needs were assessed and plans for their care were agreed and reviewed. Staff understood people’s histories, what was important to them, and how people liked their care to be provided.

• People were given the opportunity to have interesting and fun activities to do.

• Systems were in place to take any learning from complaints and to reflect on people’s needs and to further improve people’s care.

• The registered manager and provider sought suggestions for improving people’s care further and suggestions were listened to and acted on.

• People, staff and relatives spoke positively about the registered manager.

• Quality assurance checks were in place and identified actions to improve the service.

• We found the service met the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas; For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement. The last report for Homecroft Residential Home was published on 9 February 2018.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The rating has improved to Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 16 and 17 October 2017. At the last inspection in February 2015, the provider was rated as Good in each of the five key questions and the overall rating was ‘Good’. At this inspection we found some areas of concern where improvements were required.

Homecroft Residential Home is registered to provide accommodation with nursing and personal care for up to 23 people including older people, people living with dementia and people with mental health needs. On the day of the inspection there were 21 people living at the home.

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

Management of risks, particularly in relation to people’s mobility was not consistently safe. Staff were aware of their responsibility to report any concerns about people’s safety and knew how to escalate any concerns to the relevant authorities. The provider carried out safe recruitment practice to ensure staff who supported people were safe to work with vulnerable adults. People received their medicines as prescribed and there were systems in place to ensure medicines were managed and stored safely.

People were supported by staff who received training and support to ensure they had the skills and knowledge required to support people. People were happy with the food and drink provided, although some people would have preferred a wider variety of meals. People were asked for their consent before care and support was provided. The provider carried out assessments of people’s capacity to make specific decisions. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when required and learning had taken place about staff responsiveness to concerns following a recent complaint.

People were supported by staff who they described as helpful and caring. People were encouraged to make their own decisions about their day to day care and support. Staff supported people with dignity and promoted their independence. Visitors felt welcomed at the home.

People were not always offered activities and pastimes that interested them. Consideration had not always been given to people’s individual needs and preferences. People were involved in the planning and review of their care. People and relatives knew how to complain if they were unhappy with the care they receive. The provider had a system in place to monitor and respond to complaints.

The provider did not have established systems to monitor the quality of care provided. Where required improvements were identified, actions had not always been taken to ensure people’s safety. Audits and oversight of care records had not identified the concerns identified at the inspection. People and relatives had been asked to give feedback on the service they received and staff felt the management team were approachable. The registered manager and provider had notified us of incidents and events as required by law.

During the inspection we found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

The inspection took place on 3 February 2015 this was an unannounced inspection. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider.

We last inspected Homecroft on 13 February 2014. At the last inspection the provider was meeting all regulations inspected.

People felt safe with the staff that supported them because staff knew how to protect people from harm. Procedures were in place that ensured the service was safe and that people’s rights were protected.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably recruited staff available to support people and keep them safe. Relatives and people that lived there felt that the staff were good. Staff had received training that ensured they had the skills and knowledge to care for people.

People were consulted about their care so their wishes, choices and preferences were known so they could receive care on an individualised basis.

People were supported to access health care services and timely referrals were made to ensure people remained healthy.

People were supported to undertake activities of their choice in the home and out in the community.

Systems were in place to monitor and check the quality of care provided and where changes for improvement were required we saw that action was taken.

On the day of our visit there were 21 people living in the home. The provider did not know we were coming. We spoke with the manager, deputy manager, four staff and three relatives. All the people spoken with told us they were happy with the care they received. One person living there told us, “If I had to be anywhere it would be here, they look after us all really well’’.

People were supported to develop their independence and there were activities available so that people were able to lead fulfilled lives and to develop their skills. One person told us "Staff have supported me a lot.”

Staff spoken with were able to tell us about people's care needs so that they were cared for appropriately.

People’s nutritional needs were monitored and reviewed to ensure they remained healthy. All the people we spoke with told us they enjoyed the food. One person told us, “I love my bread and butter with my meal’’.

We saw that the accommodation was clean, comfortable and met the needs of the people living there. There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. All relatives told us that the home was always clean.

We found there were effective recruitment procedures in place so people were protected against unsuitable people caring for them.

We found there were procedures in place to ensure all complaints were fully investigated. One person told us, “I have never had to make a complaint it is a lovely place''.

During our visit, we spoke with the manager, four staff, two relatives and four people using the service. All four people using the service we spoke with were happy living in the home. They told us staff were caring and they felt they were looked after well. One person told us, “They do a smashing job’’. Another person told us “I am very happy, I like my room and choose what I want help with’’. Two relatives told us they were happy with the service being provided and both felt that their relatives were looked after well by staff.

People told us that they received care and support in the way they preferred and in a respectful and timely manner. Care plans ensured people received personalised care.

The provider had clear procedures in place to identify and respond to suspicions of abuse to ensure people were protected against abuse.

Staff received a range of training so that they had up to date knowledge and skills in order to support people receiving a service.

The provider took steps to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided and the Information was used to improve the service if required.

People living in the home during our visit on 2 November 2011 that they enjoy living at Homecroft. People told us that the service and care provided was very good and they would recommend Homecroft to other people.

People told us that staff were caring and always helpful. They told us they have good food and a choices of a hot meals every day.

We spoke to two relatives: They told us they have no concerns about the service and were pleased with the way they looked after their relatives.