This unannounced inspection took place on 14 October 2016. We last inspected the service in July 2014 and identified no issues under the regulations that were in force at the time.

Loxley Park provides personal care to people who live in self-contained apartments in the complex of Loxley Park. Care and support is available over a 24-hour period and is currently being utilised by 40 of the 75 residents.

The service had a registered manager. 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 service had sufficient appropriately recruited staff available to support people. As part of their recruitment process the service carried out appropriate background checks on new staff and included people who used the service on interview panels.

Care plans were subject to regular review and were easy to read. They were based on assessment and reflected the needs of people. Risk assessments were carried out and plans were put in place to reduce risks to people’ safety and welfare.

Where people were not able to make important decisions about their lives the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed to protect their rights. Staff were aware of how to identify and report abuse. There were also policies in place that outlined what to do if staff had concerns about the practice of a colleague.

The service managed medicines appropriately. People were supported to maintain their health and to access health services if needed. People who required assistance with eating and drinking received it and had their nutrition and hydration support needs regularly assessed.

Staff had developed good relationships with people and communicated in a professional and caring manner. People told us they treated staff as friends. They were aware of how to treat people with dignity and respect. Policies were in place that outlined acceptable standards in this area.

There was a complaints procedure in place that outlined how to make a complaint and how long it would take to deal with. People were aware of how to raise a complaint and who to speak to about any concerns they had. The registered manager understood the importance of acknowledging and improving areas of poor practice identified in complaints.

The home was well led by a registered manager who had a vision for the future of the service. A quality assurance system was in place that was utilised to improve the service. An electronic quality assurance system was in place that allowed the registered manager to monitor staff performance at all times.

One adult social care inspector carried out this inspection.

At the time of the inspection care staff were supporting approximately 40 people at Loxley Park. We visited the service’s office and spoke to the care and general manager, three care team leaders and two care staff. Eight people who used the service agreed to meet us and kindly invited us to their apartments to speak with us.

We gathered evidence against the outcomes we inspected to help answer our five key questions; is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff understood their role in safeguarding the people they supported. People said, “I feel very safe, I trust all the care staff” and “I trust them [staff], I’ve no worries at all.”

People told us that they felt their rights and dignity were respected. People said, “staff are very respectful and polite” and “staff are very respectful to me and to each other, this is good as well as it helps create a good atmosphere.”

We found risk assessments had been undertaken to identify any potential risk and the actions required to manage the risk. This meant people were not put at unnecessary risk but also had access to choice and remained in control of decisions about their care and lives.

The managers and team leaders organised the scheduling of visits to ensure people’s preferences and identified needs were taken into account. This helps to ensure that people’s needs are always met.

Is the service effective?

People told us they were actively involved in making decisions about care and support. People’s health and care needs were assessed with them and their representatives, and they were involved in writing their support plans. People said support plans were up to date and reflected their current needs.

Staff were provided with training to ensure they had the skills to meet people’s needs. Staff were provided with formal individual supervision and appraisals to ensure they were adequately supported and their performance was appraised. Managers’ were accessible to staff for advice and support.

Is the service caring?

Care workers we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of people’s needs and were able to give examples of how they promoted people’s independence.

We asked people for their opinions about the support provided. Feedback and comments were very positive, for example; “very good caring staff”, “very good staff, excellent in fact”, “I would, and have recommended Loxley Park to other people” and “they are lovely staff, very caring.”

During our inspection we saw people were very comfortable in the presence of staff. We observed staff talking to people throughout the inspection and they were respectful and treated people in a friendly and supportive way.

Is the service responsive?

People we spoke with said they had never had to make a complaint but knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. We found appropriate procedures were in place to respond to and record any complaints received. People could be assured that systems were in place to investigate complaints and take action as necessary.

People said they felt listened to and the service would respond to their views. They told us the staff and the managers were flexible and accommodating with visit times. One person told us, “I see the managers’ every day, they are very good at sorting out any problems straight away.”

Is the service well-led?

The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service and others. People who used the service, their representatives, external healthcare professionals and staff were asked for their views about care and support and these were acted on. We saw evidence that the provider carried out annual satisfaction surveys. Feedback was analysed and the manager and provider, took appropriate action. We saw the results of the surveys were very positive.

Care and support staff said a manager regularly worked alongside them. Staff said their performance and care practices were monitored and observed at these times. We saw records of these observations. We saw evidence that staff performance was discussed at their supervision sessions which were held approximately every three months.

Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the service and showed a commitment toward their work with Loxley Park. This helped to ensure people received a good quality service at all times.

Five people who used the service agreed to meet us and kindly invited us to their apartments to speak with us. People spoke positively about the service, staff and management and felt that they were fully supported with their needs and their care workers spoke with them in a respectful way.

People confirmed that members of staff came at the agreed time and provided care and support for the agreed period of time. Some comments captured included, “wonderful care”,” staff are nice, very nice”,” they are very good carers" and "I would recommend the staff and Loxley Park to anyone, I’m very happy with everything.”

Records checked showed that before people received any care, support or treatment they were asked for their consent and the staff acted in accordance with their wishes.

We found that people's needs were identified in care plans. Records showed that people had been involved in the care planning process. People told us that they were supported to access healthcare professionals.

We saw that medication was recorded at the time it was administered. Medication records checked were up to date and regular audits of medication systems were undertaken.

The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place to ensure that staff were appropriately employed.

People had been provided with information on how to make a complaint. All of the people we spoke with said they had no complaints or concerns about Loxley Park.

People we visited in their apartments told us that they were happy with the care and support they received. People said, "The staff are excellent, they offer me really good support." Another person said, “The staff that come to see me are marvellous, they can’t do enough for me and they never rush me.” Other comments included, “I get a wonderful service.”

We spoke with relatives. They told us that they were satisfied with the care provided. One told us, "The staff are lovely. The staff are very understanding and very well trained. To me they are very special staff.”

We also received information from the CQC website about the service. People told us, “The staff are kind and considerate, I feel safe in their hands. The staff are respectful of my dignity.”

We contacted Sheffield City Council, social services contracts and safeguarding departments. They said that they have had no recent reports of concerns or dissatisfaction with the way the service was being run.