About the service: Ravenhurst Residential Care Home can accommodate up to 50 people one adapted building and on the date of this inspection there were 48 people living at the service.

People’s experience of using this service: People and relatives were very positive, passionate and complimentary about the service. People received care from kind and caring staff who respected their privacy and dignity. The service had worked with people to create a community within the home, with people hosting activities and providing outreach support to the local community. The service worked with people, relatives and other professionals to create personalised care plans which helped to promote people’s independence.

People we spoke to were very positive about the culture of the service and the positive benefits living there had brought to their lives. The service had two “resident representatives” who were responsible for engaging people, planning activities with staff and being the voice of the people living at the home . Feedback provided by people living at the home was actioned immediately by the management team to improve the quality of care provided. The registered manager used this continuous feedback and annual feedback surveys to provide a bespoke service to people.

The service had worked hard to establish a ‘Dignity when Dying’ programme which was used after people had been assessed as requiring end of life support. This assessment was created with people, relatives and other health professionals to provide physical and emotional support to people and their relatives.

People living at the service had very active lives and hosted their own activities at the service and within the local area. People were positively engaged to promote their independence and supported to continue doing what they were passionate about. The service was working with people and the local community to provide an outreach support network for members of the public who benefited from social inclusion. People living at the home volunteered in the community and hosted local groups within the service.

Care records continued to be detailed and individual. The service worked closely with other health care agencies to support people during their placement at the service. People’s needs were regularly reviewed by staff to reflect any changes.

The premises were safe for people living at the service. There were environmental and personal risk assessments in place to help keep people safe. Medicines continued to be managed safely.

There was a robust governance framework in place to allow for the quality and safety of the care provided to be monitored by the registered manager and the provider. The service used the framework to address issues, provide action plans and improve the quality of care provided.

Staff continued to be safely recruited and received regular refresher training. New staff to the service were provided with an in-depth induction which provided them with all knowledge and skills needed to safely support people.

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.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published June 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the previous inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through information we receive from the service, provider, the public and partnership agencies. We will re-visit the service in-line with our inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

This inspection took place on 8 June 2016 and was unannounced. Ravenhurst Residential Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 50 older people. There were 48 people who were living at the home on the day of our visit.

There was a registered manager in place 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.

People lived in a safe environment as staff knew how to protect people from risk of harm. We found that staff recognised signs of abuse and knew how to report this. Staff made sure risk assessments were in place and took actions to minimise risks without taking away people’s right to make decisions.

There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs. People told us that staff helped them when they needed assistance. Regular reviews of people’s care and deployment of staff meant staffing levels reflected the needs of people who lived there. People’s medicines were administered and managed in a safe way.

The registered manager supported their staff by arranging training staff in order to provide care and support to people that was in-line with best practice. People and relatives told us of the positive benefits this had on the care and support received.

People received care and support that was in-line with their needs and preferences. Staff provided people’s care with their consent and agreement. Staff understood and recognised the importance of this. People were supported to eat a healthy balanced diet and with enough fluids to keep them healthy. People had access to healthcare professionals, such as their doctor when they required them.

We saw that people were involved in planning their care. People’s views and decisions about their care were listened and acted upon. People told us that staff treated them kindly, with dignity and that their privacy was respected.

People received individual care and support that was in line with their preferences. The provider promoted and encouraged people to carry out their hobbies and interests.

We found that people knew how to complain and felt comfortable to do this should they feel they needed to. We looked at the providers complaints over the last 12 months and found that two complaints had been received that had been responded to with satisfactory outcomes for those who had raised the complaint.

The registered manager demonstrated clear leadership. Staff were supported to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively, which meant that people’s received care and support in-line with their needs and wishes.

We found that the checks the provider completed focused upon the experiences people received. Where areas for improvement were identified, systems were in place to ensure that lessons were learnt and used to improve staff practice.

At the time of our inspection the provider did not have a registered manager in post. We inspected Ravenhurst Care Home and spoke with eight people who lived at the home and with three relatives of people who lived at the home. We observed the care and support people received. We looked at their care files and other supporting documents. We had discussions with the home manager, deputy manager and care staff about how people were being supported.

We saw that people gave their consent to staff which met their day to day care needs and where able had signed their care plans. One person who lived at the home told us: “I get support from staff when I need it”.

People’s needs had been assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. Staff told us they were aware of each person’s needs and how to give care and support to meet those needs. People who lived at the home told us: “I’m respected and looked after”.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.

The provider was able to demonstrate that they listened to people who lived at the home and regularly reviewed and monitored the care to make sure people received appropriate care.

Our inspection was unannounced; no one knew we would be visiting. There were 46 people living there on the day of our inspection. We spoke with three people and two staff to find out their views about the service provided. People told us positive things about the care and support that they received.

The atmosphere at the home was relaxed and homely. We observed positive and respectful interactions between people that lived at the home and staff throughout our inspection. We found that people were supported to maintain their interests and lead as full a life as possible.

People's needs had been assessed by a range of health professionals which meant their health care needs had been monitored and met.

Staff knew how to safeguard people from harm and felt confident that if they had to report any abuse, action would be taken to protect people.

There was enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff knew how to meet people’s needs, and understood the needs of people living with dementia.

People’s complaints were listened to and resolved to their satisfaction.