The inspection took place on 5 September 2016 and was unannounced. The last inspection was carried out in October 2013 and it was compliant in the areas inspected. Park Lane is a nursing home for up to 48 people who have support needs. There were 43 people living there at the time of the inspection.

There was a registered manager at the home at the time of our 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.

The principles of the MCA 2005 had not always been followed. Checking relatives and representatives had the legal authority to make decisions on behalf of someone who lacked capacity had not always been completed. This meant that the service was not acting in accordance with the MCA to ensure that people’s legal and human rights were respected and upheld.

The service was safe as people were protected from harm by staff who knew what constituted abuse and understood their responsibilities to report incidents of suspected abuse.

There were plans in place to support staff to help people manage their needs and risk assessments in place to keep people safe.

Medicines were managed safely and were administered as prescribed.

There were enough staff to cater for people’s current needs and people did not have to wait for support. Staff had also been recruited safely to check they were suitable to work with the people who use the service.

People were supported to make choices where possible and staff supported people to do this.

Staff had sufficient training to support people in the home. Staff had supervisions and felt supported by the registered manager and management team.

People’s nutritional needs were met and they told us they liked the food and there was a selection of food people could choose from.

People had access to a range of health services in order to keep them healthy and the staff made appropriate referrals when it was necessary.

Staff were caring and knew people who lived there well. People, relatives and staff were able to build relationships and people were treated with dignity and respect. People’s privacy was respected.

Support plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed and both people and relatives were consulted about their care.

People had a choice of interests and hobbies they could be involved in, should they choose to.

There was a complaints policy available for people to access and people knew how to make a complaint and were confident their concerns would be dealt with.

Medicine and other audits were carried out regularly and action taken when an issue had been identified.

People, relatives and staff had confidence in the management team and found the registered manager approachable.

The home provided accommodation on two floors. The ground floor was dedicated to caring for people with personal care needs, including people with dementia care needs. The second floor accommodated people with nursing care needs.

People who used the service were happy with the care and support they received and were kept safe. People felt that the staff who looked after them were kind, respectful and caring. One person told us, "The care is very good here, and the staff are all lovely." Families also felt their relatives were well cared for. One visitor said, "X could not be in a better place."

People were cared for by a staff team who had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. The provider worked with other professionals, accessed other services and was responsive to people's needs.

Individual care and treatment was planned and reviewed regularly to ensure that care and support remained effective.

The service was well run and the manager was open and inclusive and people were encouraged to talk and make suggestions.

We carried out this inspection to check on the care and welfare of people who used the service as part of our planned schedule of inspections. The inspection was unannounced which meant the provider and the staff did not know we were visiting.

Some people who used the service had dementia related conditions and were not able to communicate effectively with us. To ensure they were receiving the support they needed we observed how staff interacted with them and the care practice in the home. People we spoke with and their relatives said, "We chose this home after it was recommended. We have been very happy with the care our relative receives". "I'm very happy here. I have everything I need".

We saw that people were usually included in making decisions and able make choices about the care they received. We saw the care records included information about how people needed to be supported and how risks had been assessed. People received the health care and treatment they needed.

Medication was stored securely and arrangements were in place in relation to obtaining and disposing medicines. However medication was not always administered as prescribed or recorded appropriately. This placed people at risk of harm.

Staffing levels were usually sufficient to meet people’s needs and staff received the training they needed to support people.

Complaints processes were in place. People and relatives we spoke with confirmed that they knew how to make a complaint.

We talked to people using the service, and visiting relatives. Comments we received included the following, "the staff here are lovely”. “I’ve not had any problems with the staff here, I sometimes have to wait to be seen in the morning, but there are other people here too”.