Prince Michael of Kent Court 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.

At the last inspection on 23 February 2017 we found the service required Improvement with regard to protecting people from harm and keeping people safe. At this inspection we found that the service had worked extremely hard to improve the safety and welfare of people at the home and now demonstrated excellent outcomes for people.

The service had a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

People felt safe and staff knew how to mitigate risks to people’s health and wellbeing. Medicines were managed safely and infection control practice adhered to. Safety checks and fire drills were completed appropriately.

People’s individual risk assessments in care records had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. Care records showed they were reviewed and any changes had been recorded when needed.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and signs of possible abuse. They told us they reported any concerns to senior staff on duty or their manager and they were aware of the whistleblowing procedures if they needed to elevate any concerns externally to local safeguarding authorities.

Staff were very knowledgeable about people and were able to promptly identify changes in people’s needs.

Staff and people who lived at the home were knowledgeable in safety protocols and were provided with the opportunity of attending both fire safety and health and safety training to help ensure they were confident and able to maintain their own safety in case of an emergency.

People were looked after by enough staff, who were trained and supported to help meet peoples` individual needs.

Pre-employment checks were completed on staff before they were assessed to be suitable to look after people who used the service.

Staff were recruited through robust procedures which ensured that staff working at the home were of good character and were suitable to work with the people they would be supporting. People who used the service were involved in the recruitment process and gave feedback about the applicants which meant that they were able to engage with staff from very early stages and form important relationships.

People were supported to take their medicines safely by staff who had received training and had their competencies checked. People where they could were encouraged to self-medicate and participate in regular medicine reviews.

People`s consent to the care and support they received was obtained and staff worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for people who lacked capacity to make certain decisions to ensure that the care and support they received was in their best interest.

People told us and we observed that the service provided a healthy and varied diet and in sufficient amounts to maintain people`s health and well-being.

The environment has been created using imaginative and inspirational ideas with a particular focus on people who were living with dementia, to support and enable them to live safely and with minimal restrictions. All areas of the home had been created to provide a true reflection of people’s individual interests. Communal areas were creatively decorated to reflect people’s hobbies, past lives and their social interest. The home was maintained to the highest standard.

Staff told us they received regular training an

The inspection took place on 23 February 2017 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection since the service was registered on 18 March 2016. Prince Michael of Kent Court is registered to provide accommodation for up to 55 older people who require nursing and or personal care. At the time of the inspection 51 people were using the service.

The home had a registered manager. 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People who used the service told us that they felt safe living at Prince Michael of Kent Court. However not all staff understood how to keep people safe and risks to people's safety and well-being were not always identified and managed effectively. During this inspection we observed a safeguarding incident that involved two people who lived at the home and as a result we requested that the manager make an urgent safeguarding referral to the local authority. The service failed to follow and implement its own safeguarding procedure which could have placed the person at serious risk of harm.

Although the provider had arrangements in place to regularly monitor the health and safety, quality of the care and support provided to people who used the service these systems failed to identify issues raised as part of this inspection.

The home was calm and people's needs were met in a timely manner by sufficient numbers of skilled and experienced staff. The provider operated robust recruitment processes which helped to ensure that staff employed to provide care and support for people were fit to do so. People's medicines were managed safely.

Staff received regular one to one supervision from a member of the management team which made them feel supported and valued. People received support they needed to eat and drink sufficient quantities and their health needs were well catered for with appropriate referrals made to external health professionals when needed.

People and their relatives complimented the staff team for being kind and caring. Staffs were knowledgeable about individuals' care and support needs and preferences and people had been involved in the planning of their care where they were able. Visitors to the home were encouraged at any time of the day.

The provider had arrangements to receive feedback from people who used the service, their relatives, external stakeholders and staff members about the services provided. People were confident to raise anything that concerned them with staff or management and were satisfied that they would be listened to. There was an open and respectful culture in the home and relatives and staff were comfortable to speak with the registered manager if they had a concern.