OSJCT Ermine House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. OSJCT Ermine House accommodates up to 45 people in one adapted building. There were 39 people living in the home when we visited.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Systems and processes were in place to keep people safe from the risk of harm and abuse. People had their medicines administered safely by trained and competent staff. The service was clean and staff adhered to safe infection control practices.

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 had their care needs assessed and their care was planned in line with up to date guidance and legislation. There were sufficient staff to care for a person's individual needs and staff were trained appropriately. People were provided with a balanced and nutritious diet and had access to a range of healthcare services.

People were cared for by kind, caring and compassionate staff. People and staff had a good relationship and the service had a homely atmosphere. People were cared for as unique individuals and their privacy and dignity were respected.

Staff supported people to spend their time as they wished. There was a range of internal and external activities tailored to individual needs and pastimes. People had an advanced care plan to protect their wishes at the end of their life to achieve a comfortable and pain free death.

People spoke highly of the care they received and the attitude of staff. Staff enjoyed working at the service and were proud of their achievements. The provider had a robust approach to monitoring the quality of the care people receive. The registered manager had built a good relationship with key organisations and the local community.

People who live in the service and staff have a voice and are supported to give their feedback on the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

The inspection took place on 06 November 2014 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

OSJCT Ermine House is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up 45 older people. There were 38 people living at the service on the day of our inspection.

There was a manager in post whose application for registered manager approval was in the final stages. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way. This is usually to protect themselves or others. At the time of the inspection no people had had their freedom restricted.

People felt safe and were cared for by kind and caring staff. People received their prescribed medicine safely from staff that had the skills to do so. Staff knew what action to take and who to report to if they were concerned about the safety and welfare of the people in their care.

People were supported by designated activity coordinators to maintain their hobbies and interests. People were involved in planning future social events including trips out for coffee and lunch.

People were given a choice of nutritious and well presented meals. There were plenty of hot and cold drinks and snacks offered between meals.

Staff were aware of people’s choices and preferences. Staff had the skills to undertake risk assessments and planned people’s personal, physical, social and psychological care needs. Staff had access to professional development, supervision and feedback on their performance.

People had their healthcare needs identified and were able to access healthcare professionals such as their GP or district nurse. Staff knew how to access specialist professional help when needed.

There were systems in place to support people and their relatives to make comments about the service or raise concerns about the care they received. People and their families told us that the manager and staff were approachable.

Staff felt that OSJCT Ermine House was a good place to work.

We looked at four care plans for people who used the service. These were personalised and provided detailed guidance about how people’s needs should be met.

We noted members of staff spoke appropriately to people in a friendly manner. One person said, “I love it here; the staff are so kind.”

We saw from people’s care plans the service used a nutritional assessment method to monitor people’s nutritional status. This was completed monthly.

We asked people who lived in the home what they through about its overall cleanliness. One person said, “It’s very clean, I don’t think there is anything to complain about at all.” Another person told us, “It’s cleaned well but I think the cleaners are a bit stretched to be honest.”

We carried out a random check of expiry dates of medicines; we found them all to be in date. We confirmed the storage of controlled drugs was appropriate and the register had been completed correctly and signed by two members of staff.

In each of the communal lounges we saw at least two members of care staff interacting and communicating with people. One person who lived at the home told us, “The staff are really good; they never leave you just sat.”

One person who lived at the home told us, “This is an excellent place, I really like it here. The staff are ever so good.”

We found people were cared for in a clean, well presented home. One person commented, “The home is kept really nice.” The staff provided care in a pleasant and professional manner.

We saw staff had time to interact with people. The home had two activity coordinators who organised a wide range of activities.

We saw the cook provided a choice of hot and cold foods at each mealtime and snacks throughout the day. There was also a cooked breakfast available twice a week.