Meadowfield Lodge is a care home that provides support and accommodation for up to 24 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. On the day of the inspection there were 21 people living at the home, including one person who was having respite care. The accommodation is located over three floors and there is a passenger lift to access the first and second floors. There are various communal areas and a garden where people can spend the day.

At the last inspection in July 2015 the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

There continued to be sufficient numbers of staff employed to make sure people received the support they needed, and those staff had been safely recruited.

Staff received appropriate training that gave them the knowledge and skills they required to carry out their roles. This included training on the administration of medicines and on how to protect people from the risk of harm.

People were supported to have choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were kind and caring, and they respected people’s privacy and dignity.

Care planning described the person and the level of support they required. Care plans were reviewed regularly to ensure they remained an accurate record of the person and their day to day needs.

People and their relatives told us they were aware of how to express concerns or make complaints although people told us they had not needed to complain.

The registered manager carried out audits to ensure people were receiving the care and support they required. People were also given the opportunity to share their views about the service provided.

The feedback we received and our observations on the day of the inspection demonstrated that the home was well managed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 22 July 2015 and was unannounced. We previously visited the service on 11 July 2013 and found that the registered provider met the regulations we assessed.

The service is registered to provide personal care and accommodation for up to 24 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. On the day of the inspection there were 20 people living at the home. The home is located in Bridlington, a seaside town in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is close to town centre amenities and the sea front, and is on good transport routes.

The registered provider is required to have a registered manager in post and on the day of the inspection there was a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC); they had been registered since 3 July 2014. 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 told us that they felt safe living at Meadowfield Lodge and we saw that the premises were being maintained in a safe condition. We found that people were protected from the risks of harm or abuse because the registered provider had effective systems in place to manage issues of a safeguarding nature. Staff were trained in safeguarding adults from abuse and understood their responsibilities in respect of protecting people from the risk of harm.

People were supported to make their own decisions and when they were not able to do so, meetings were held to ensure that decisions were made in the person’s best interests. If it was considered that people were being deprived of their liberty, the correct authorisations had been applied for.

Staff confirmed that they received induction training when they were new in post and told us that they were happy with the training provided for them. However, it had been recognised that induction training needed to be more robust to ensure new staff had the skills they needed, and a new induction programme was being introduced. The training record evidenced that most staff had completed training that was considered to be essential by the home.

New staff had been employed following the home’s recruitment and selection policies to ensure that only people considered suitable to work with older people had been employed. We saw that there were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people’s individual needs.

Staff that had responsibility for the administration of medication had completed appropriate training. Medicines were administered safely by staff and the arrangements for ordering, storage and recording were robust.

People’s nutritional needs had been assessed and people told us that their special diets were catered for, and that they were happy with the meals provided at the home. We saw there was a choice available at each mealtime, and that people had been consulted about the choices available on the home’s menu.

People told us that staff were caring and this was supported by the relatives and health care professionals who we spoke with.

There were systems in place to seek feedback from people who lived at the home, relatives and staff. There had been no formal complaints made to the home during the previous twelve months but there were systems in place to manage complaints if they were received.

People who lived at the home, relatives and staff told us that the home was well managed. The quality audits undertaken by the registered manager were designed to identify any areas of improvement to staff practice that would improve safety and the care provided to people who lived at the home. We saw that, on occasions, the outcome of surveys, audits and complaints were used as a learning opportunity for staff.

We spoke with the manager, the deputy manager, a member of staff and a person who lived at the home as part of this inspection.

We saw that there was good interaction between people who lived at the home and staff. The person who lived at the home who we spoke with told us that the staff were good and made time to talk to them. They said, "The staff are very, very good to us". Care plans had been agreed by the people who lived at the home and included sufficient details to inform staff about people's individual needs.

On the day of the inspection we saw that the home was clean and that arrangements to prevent the spread of infection had been introduced, although laundry facilities continued to pose a risk of infection.

The premises were well maintained but the current gas safety certificate could not be found. An engineer was due to visit the home on 25 July to service gas appliances and the manager agreed to send us a copy of the certificate. There was a maintenance plan in place for refurbishment and redecoration.

Staff had been recruited following the organisation's policies and procedures and had received induction training when new in post.

There were some quality monitoring systems in place but these had lapsed during the period when the registered manager had left the home and a new manager had been appointed. The new manager intended to reinstate resident meetings and quality surveys. The home had a satisfactory complaints procedure.

We spoke to six people that lived in the home. People were happy with the support they received from staff, telling us that there were enough staff and that the staff were nice. People told us that they were happy in the home and were kept informed.