This inspection was unannounced and took place on 5 October 2016.

Lady Forester Residential and Day Care Centre provide accommodation and personal care for up to 14 older people and also offers a respite service. On the day of our inspection the home was fully occupied.

The home had a registered manager who was present for the 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 supported by staff who knew how to protect them from the risk of abuse and care practices reduced the risk of accidents. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had the skills to support them to take their prescribed medicines.

People received care and support from staff who were trained and who received regular one to one [supervision] sessions. People’s human rights were protected because staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and people’s decisions were respected. People were provided with a choice of suitable meals and had access to drinks at all times. Staff assisted people to access relevant healthcare services when needed.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff who were aware of their care and support needs. People were actively involved in planning their care and their privacy and dignity was respected by staff.

People’s involvement in their care assessment ensured they received a service that met their needs. They had access to a variety of social activities and were supported by staff to do the things they enjoyed. People felt confident to share any concerns they had with staff.

People were encouraged to have a say in how the home was run. People and staff felt supported by the managers and the provider’s governance systems were effective to drive improvements.

We carried out this inspection on 29 October 2014. The inspection was unannounced.

Lady Forester Residential and Day Care Centre provided care and accommodation for up to 13 older people with a range of needs. There were 12 people living at the home when we visited and there was 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.

Policies, procedures and training were provided for staff in protecting people from potential harm. Staff were aware of how to report bad practice if required.

Risk assessments were in place which minimised risks to people who used the service and staff that provided support. These were detailed and were made available to staff in order to reduce the risks that certain tasks posed.

We observed and people told us there were sufficient numbers of skilled staff employed at the service. Staff we spoke with knew people’s needs well. We observed people were treated with respect and dignity throughout our inspection.

We saw there were recruitment procedures in place which the management team followed. This ensured only people that were suitable to work with adults were employed.

The provider supported staff with training in essential topics. Support meetings and annual reviews of their personal development took place which ensured staff were supported to undertake their duties. We saw staff were confident in providing support to people who lived at the service.

Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of what the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards  meant for people who lived at the service even though no one who lived at the service had an agreed authorisation. During our inspection we did not see anyone who had there liberty deprived in anyway.

We received positive feedback from people who used the service about the care they received. We also received positive feedback from a relative we spoke with. It was evident people made their own decisions about how they preferred their care to be provided and that staff promoted people’s independence where possible.

People told us they had access to healthcare professionals when they required it and they felt their medicines were managed well. We saw that there were systems in place to safely manage people’s medicines.

Some people told us they enjoyed the food at the service and said there were always alternatives available if they did not like what was on the menu.

Positive feedback was given about the management team and people told us they felt the service was managed well. The provider had a number of ways of monitoring the service which involved people in the process. These included people contributing to an annual survey about the service. Although people did not have any complaints at the time of our inspection the provider had a complaints procedure in place for anyone who wished to raise a complaint.

During this inspection we spoke in private with people who used the service, staff and visitors. We also spoke with the registered manager and deputy manager.

People told us that they were treated with respect and had their dignity maintained. Comments included, "Everybody's very kind and helpful”, and “I’m happy here”.

Staff had a good understanding of the care needs of individual’s living at the home. People were able to participate in discussion and decision-making in connection with their care needs.

We found the home to be clean, and regular checks had been carried out to ensure the required standards of cleanliness and infection control had been maintained.

The provider had effective recruitment procedures in place.

There was a complaints policy and procedure in place. People we spoke with told us they knew who to raise any concerns with and they felt confident their concerns would be addressed.

People who used the service said that they were well looked after. They told us that the staff always asked them how they would like things to be done, always respected their privacy and treated them with respect. They said staff talked to them about how they liked their support to be provided.

Staff provided health and social care support well. Community services were accessed to support people when necessary.

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 undertake so that they would recognise abuse and how to report it.

People told us that staff were always available when they needed help. People’s relatives told us that staff were around and available to talk to when they visited. They said that the staff were friendly and always acted professionally. One person said “I have been here since *** and I have been happy all the time” and another said “The staff are very good”.

People we spoke with said their comments were listened to. A visitor said that they would not hesitate to talk to staff if something was wrong. The service’s management held regular meetings with the people who use the service to find out what people thought about how their care was delivered.

We carried out this review to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. When we visited The Lady Forester Residential and Day Care Centre we found that people were very happy with the service that they received. People felt involved and consulted in relation to how they were cared for and supported. Care plans reflected an individualised service that was delivered around people’s assessed needs. Everyone we spoke with told us that they had their views and experiences taken into account by staff and management of the service.

People’s likes and dislikes were taken into account. People shared with us their plans for the future and told us what they enjoyed doing. Information shared reflected information seen in care plans.

People liked the meals on offer at the home and enjoyed a flexible and responsive service at mealtimes.

People said that staff were kind and supportive. On the day of our visit we saw people being supported sensitively and discreetly. Staff were very mindful about respecting people’s dignity and privacy and were seen to be involving people fully in relation to all decisions made.

Staff stated they were confident that people’s needs were understood and managed appropriately as they had received the right training opportunities and felt well supported to do a good job. People were protected because staff were confident to recognise and report abuse. People felt that staff were able to meet their care and support needs well. People said that they felt safe and well looked after.

People enjoyed a range of activities and enjoyed the option of mixing with day centre day centre members three days a week. People also have the benefit of access to a community ‘Friendly Bus’ service to help get them out and about. People were involved in making decisions about activities and told us they enjoyed the friendliness of the volunteers who have supported people who use this service for several years.

People from The Lady Forester Residential and Day Care Centre spoke very highly of the home saying that they had a good working relationship with all of the staff team and that the home was responsive to their changing needs.

Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor and review the quality of the service provided. Health and safety systems were in place to make sure that people who live and work in the home were safe.