About the service: Ivelhurst Nursing Home provides personal and nursing care for up to 54 people aged both under 65 and over 65, at the time of the inspection there were 50 people living in the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received care and support that was safe. The provider had a robust recruitment programme which meant all new staff were checked to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. All staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable people.

Risk assessments were in place to identify any risk to people and staff understood the actions to take to ensure people were safe. There were sufficient staff to support people with their daily living and activities

People received effective care and support. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of people’s needs and received training relevant to their role and the needs of people living in the home. People enjoyed a healthy balanced and nutritious diet based on their preferences and health needs.

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.

People received care from staff who were kind and caring. Staff always respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff encouraged people to be involved in their care planning and reviews. People were supported to express an opinion about the care provided and the day to day running of the home.

People received responsive care and support which was personalised to their individual needs and wishes and promoted independence. There was clear guidance for staff on how to support people in line with their personal wishes, likes and dislikes. People were supported to access health care services and to see healthcare professionals when necessary.

People were supported by a team that was well led. The registered manager demonstrated an open and positive approach to learning and development. Everybody spoken with said they felt the manager was open, approachable and the home was well led.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service, ensure staff kept up to date with good practice and to seek people’s views. Records showed the service responded to concerns and complaints and learnt from the issues raised.

Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection we rated the service good. The report was published September 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained Good overall.

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

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 9 and 10 August 2016.

Ivelhurst Nursing Home is registered to provide care and accommodation to up to 54 people. One part of the home provides care to up to 10 people who require assistance with personal care and the main part of the home is able to provide nursing care to people. The home specialises in the care of older people. At the time of the inspection there were 51 people living at the home.

The last inspection of the home was carried out in July 2013. No concerns were identified at that inspection.

There is a registered manager in post. 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 registered manager had a real commitment to constantly reviewing and improving the service offered to people. They sought people’s views to make sure improvements made were in accordance with people’s wishes. Suggestions made were acted upon for the benefit of people who lived at the home.

The management team were described as caring, open and approachable. The open culture enabled any concerns to be raised and staff were confident any concerns would be effectively dealt with to make sure people were protected. The registered manager regarded concerns and complaints as learning opportunities and had made changes in response to information they had received.

People received high standards of care and support because the registered manager led by example, staff received good training and had access to up to date guidance. People had constant access to registered nurses to monitor their health and well-being and advice was sought and acted upon when people had more specialist healthcare needs.

There was a strong emphasis on supporting people to eat and drink well. Staff used creative ways to make sure meals were appealing and there were always choices of food. Meals times were constantly monitored to make sure people received effective support. People were complimentary about the food. One person told us “Food here is excellent and I always have a glass of wine with lunch which makes it even nicer.”

People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. People were very relaxed and comfortable with staff including the management team. One person said “They always treat you well here.”

There were enough staff to make sure people were safe and received care and support when they needed it. People told us staff were always friendly, kind and thoughtful. People were always treated with respect and dignity.

People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives. People were able to follow their own routines and staff respected these. People were able to join in with daily activities or occupy themselves. People felt at home and visitors were always made welcome.

People’s needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered to meet their needs. One person told us, "I’m glad I live here". "Another person said, “They look after me very well.". Staff were knowledgeable about people's needs and how they should be met.

The staff had opportunities to further develop their knowledge through training. The provider had developed a system to ensure that staff on duty had the right skills to meet people's needs. Induction training was provided to all new staff.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of care it was providing which included opportunities for people to comment on the service provided.

The records used by the provider demonstrated that staff had been appropriately checked before they started work at the home. The care records gave staff sufficient guidance to meet people's needs in a way that they wished.

We observed that people were treated with respect and dignity. They were offered choice with regards to their daily routines. Staff were aware of people's personal preferences and routines. People told us that they were happy at the home and their needs were being met. People told us that they felt that staff were approachable and would sort problems out for them.

Staff did not fully understand safeguarding vulnerable adults procedure's which may lead to delays in reporting concerns. The provider did not have an effective quality assurance system which is required to monitor and improve the service provided at Ivelhurst Nursing home.

The care record system was did not fully illustrate people's needs and risks which could lead to people's needs not being understood or met in a timely way.