This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 7 and 9 June 2017.

Marling Court is a care home with accommodation for up to 37 people who are frail elderly and people with dementia.

The home 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

In April 2015, our inspection found that the service was overall good with good for all five questions.

People and their relatives told us that this was a good place to live; staff were very nice and provided support and care that was respectful and compassionate. People were provided with opportunities to do as they wished and joined in the activities provided if they wanted to.

The home’s atmosphere was warm, welcoming and inclusive. People that visited told us that they were always made welcome. People using the service, their relatives and staff said the home provided a safe environment for people to live and staff to work in. The home was well maintained, clean and well decorated.

The records were kept up to date, including people’s care plans that contained clearly recorded, fully completed, and regularly reviewed information. This enabled staff to perform their duties well.

The staff were very familiar with people who used the service, their routines, likes, dislikes and preferences. During the inspection people received the same level of attentive service and everyone was treated equally. Staff were well trained, had appropriate skills and qualifications and were focussed on providing individualised support in a professional, friendly and caring way. They also made themselves accessible to people using the service and their relatives as required. Staff said the training they had received was good, enabled them to do their jobs and they received good support from the registered manager and team. There were also opportunities for career advancement.

People using the service were protected from nutrition and hydration associated risks with balanced diets that also met their likes, dislikes and preferences. People and their relatives said the choice of meals and quality of the food provided was very good and staff encouraged them to discuss health needs. They also had access to community based health care professionals, such as district nurses should they be required.

People and their relatives told us the home’s management team were approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided.

This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 28 and 29 April 2015.

Marling Court is a care home with accommodation for up to 37 frail elderly individuals and people with dementia.

The home 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

This was the first inspection under new proprietors. At this inspection the home met the regulations inspected against.

People and their relatives told us the home provided a good service and they enjoyed living there and there was enough staff. The staff team were caring, attentive and provided the care and support they needed in a friendly and kind way. The home provided an atmosphere that was enjoyable and people said it was a nice to live.

The records were comprehensive and kept up to date. They contained clearly recorded, fully completed, and regularly reviewed information. This enabled staff to perform their duties well. People and their relatives were encouraged to discuss health needs with staff and had access to community based health professionals, as required. They were protected from nutrition and hydration associated risks with balanced diets that also met their likes, dislikes and preferences. Relatives were positive about the choice and quality of food available.

The home was well maintained, furnished, clean and provided a safe environment for people to live and work in.

The staff we spoke with were very knowledgeable about the people they worked with and field they worked in. They had appropriate skills, training and were focussed on providing individualised care and support in a professional, friendly and supportive way. Staff said they were a little apprehensive as this was a new organisation, although so far the organisation’s representative had been, open, honest and supportive.

People using the service, staff and relatives said the management team at the home, were approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback from people and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided.