This inspection took place 22 August 2018 and was unannounced, which means they did not know we were coming. 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.

Shenstone 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.

Shenstone House accommodates 14 people across two floors. There were seven people living at the home at the time 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 continued to tell us they felt safe living in the home. Staff had a good understanding in how they protected people from harm, and recognised different types of abuse and how to report it. Staff had identified potential risks to people and had involved people in decisions in how to reduce the risk of harm. There were enough staff on duty to keep them safe and meet their needs. People’s medicines were managed and stored in a safe way. Safe practice was carried out to reduce the risk of infection.

People’s care continued to be assessed and reviewed with the person involved throughout. People were supported to have a healthy balanced diet and were given food they enjoyed. 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 support this practice. Staff worked with external healthcare professionals and followed their guidance and advice about how to support people following best practice.

Staff treated people with dignity, they treated people as individuals and respected the choices they made. People’s care was delivered in a timely way, with any changes in care being communicated clearly to the staff team. People were supported and encouraged to maintain their hobbies and interests. The registered manager had not received any complaints, but we saw people had access to information about how they could complain about the service.

The registered manager was visible within the home, they spent their time supporting people, listening to them and working alongside their staff. The registered manager worked by example and encouraged and promoted their staff to develop their skills. The checks the registered manager made to ensure the service was meeting people’s needs focused upon people’s views and experiences.

The inspection took place on 18 December 2015 and was unannounced.

The home provides accommodation for a maximum of 14 people requiring personal care. There were eight people living at the home when we visited. A registered manager was in post when we inspected the service. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People living at the home told us they felt safe and that care staff understood how to support them. Care staff had received training on how to protect people from abuse and recognised how people living at the home should be protected from the different types of abuse.

People were able to access support from care staff when they required it and care staff knew people’s health needs and responded accordingly. People were always within close proximity of accessing care staff.

The registered manager had completed pre-employment checks to ensure the suitability of staff working at the home.

People were supported by care staff that understood how to support people with their medicines. People received their medication as prescribed.

Care staff received regular supervision and training in order that they could support people with their individual care needs. Care staff understood the importance of obtaining people’s consent and the registered manager acted in accordance with legal requirements.

People accessed additional medical health services as required. People saw the dentist, chiropodist and optician.

People liked and were fond of the care staff supporting them, who they felt understood their care needs. People made individual choices about their care and care staff respected people’s independence and dignity.

People’s health needs were adjusted based on people’s changing needs and circumstances and people were involved in making those discussions.

People liked the registered manager and felt able to chat to her about their care needs as well as anything else important to them.

Care staff enjoyed working at the service and described a relaxed and open relationship with the registered manager.

The registered manager had systems for reviewing and updating people’s care needs as well as implementing the registered provider’s expectations for delivering the service.

We spoke with four out of the eight people who lived at the home. All of the people we spoke with told us that they liked living there. One person said: "It’s very nice here, I don’t want to live anywhere else.” Another person said: “I couldn’t be happier.” We spoke with two relatives of people living at the home. They told us that that they were very happy with the care that was being provided.

We found that arrangements were in place to obtain consent from people. We saw that staff respected the choices that people made. People told us that they were encouraged and supported to make their own decisions. We found that residents were encouraged to say how they wanted things to happen in the home.

We saw that the provider had taken reasonable steps to protect people from abuse. We spoke with people and they told us that they felt safe. We looked at care plans and we found that they contained information that was needed to provide care. We also found information had been recorded to help staff better understand people’s needs.

Staff told us that they felt supported by their manager. We found that they had received training that was necessary for them to care for people safely and that staff had training records and plans. We found that information about people’s care was recorded accurately and in a reasonable time. Records were stored securely and could be located promptly when required.

This was the service’s first inspection since their initial registration with the Care Quality Commission. We spoke with six people who used the service, a visitor and three members of staff. We also spent some time in communal areas observing the interaction between staff and people who used the service.

People who used the service told us that that they were well cared for and we saw that they had good relationships with staff and that staff appeared to know them well. We found that people were supported and encouraged to express their views and make decisions about their care and how they wanted to spend their time.

The individual needs of people were assessed and in most cases care plans had been developed to ensure those needs would be met by staff. We found that care plans had not always been recorded when individual risks to people's well being had been identified.

People who used the service were supported by staff that had received appropriate training to enable them to meet their needs but this training had not always been recorded.

We saw that there were arrangements in place for monitoring the quality of the service. People who visited the service and the staff we spoke with told us that the registered manager was approachable. They said they had no difficulties raising issues of concern with them if necessary and knew that they would be listened to.