The inspection took place on 2nd March and was unannounced.

Howard Lodge is a residential care home registered to provide accommodation for 72 older people who require personal care. There were 71 people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

When we last visited the service it was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People were safe from the risk of abuse, staff had knowledge of safeguarding and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.

Risks were assessed and suitable control measures put in place, which still enabled people to maintain as much independence as possible.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure that people's needs were met and recruitment practices ensured that staff were of good character and suitable for their roles.

Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely and correctly. Staff were trained in the safe administration of medicines and maintained relevant records that were accurate.

Staff received an induction and on-going training to make sure they had the skills and knowledge to be competent in their role. Staff were well supported and had opportunities to discuss any concerns and training needs they might have.

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.

There were positive relationships between people and members of staff. Staff treated people with kindness and took the time to get to know them and their interests whilst providing their care.

The service had involved people and their relatives in care and support planning to ensure that care was provided in the way they wanted it to be. Staff could describe how individual people preferred their care and support delivered and the importance of treating people with dignity and respect.

The service had an effective complaints procedure in place and responded to complaints appropriately.

People had access to a range of activities in and out of the home which reflected their interests and preferences.

The provider had systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service and identified and acted on any areas that required improvement.

This inspection took place on 19 February 2015 and was unannounced.

Howard Lodge Care Centre is registered to provide accommodation for 72 older people who require personal care. People may also have needs associated with dementia. There were 41 people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

A registered manager was in post 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.

Staff had attended training on safeguarding people. They were knowledgeable about identifying abuse and how to report it. Recruitment procedures were thorough. Risk management plans were in place to support people to have as much independence as possible while keeping them safe. There were also processes in place to manage any risks in relation to the running of the home.

Medicines were safely stored, recorded and administered in line with current guidance to ensure people received their prescribed medicines to meet their needs. People had regular access to healthcare professionals. A wide choice of food and drinks was available to people that reflected their nutritional needs, and took into account their personal lifestyle preferences or health care needs.

People were supported by skilled staff who knew them well and were available in sufficient numbers to meet people's needs effectively. People felt their dignity and privacy was respected and they all spoke in a complimentary way about the kind and caring approach of the staff. Visitors felt welcome and people were supported to maintain relationships and participate in social activities and outings.

Staff were well trained and used their training effectively to support people. Staff understood and complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Care plans were regularly reviewed and showed that the person, or where appropriate their relatives, had been involved. They included people’s preferences and individual needs so that staff had clear information on how to give people the care that they needed. People told us that they received the care they needed.

The service was well led as people knew the manager and found them to be approachable and available in the home. People living and working in the service had opportunity to say how they felt about the home and the service it provided. Their views were listened to and actions were taken in response. The provider and registered manager had robust systems in place to check on the quality and safety of the service provided, to put actions plans in place where needed, and to check that these were completed.