This inspection took place on 05 and 06 December 2017 and was unannounced. The service was last inspected in December 2015 and was rated as Good overall, but requires improvement in the domain of Well Led.

Southside provides accommodation and care for up to12 people with working age dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people living at the home.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. 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 providers auditing and quality assurance processes and systems were not consistently effective.

The provider had ensured there were sufficient numbers of staff to provide a service, and that they were recruited and trained safely and to the needs of the service.

People were kept safe by staff who understood how to identify when they were at risk of harm and abuse. People received their medicines on time and as prescribed.

People received care and support that was delivered in a person centred way to meet their individual needs. People and relatives were consulted on how they received their care and support.

People’s dignity was maintained and their rights to privacy were respected by the staff.

People had a variety of food, drinks and snacks available throughout the day. They were able to choose the meals that they preferred to eat.

People were supported to stay healthy and had access to health care professionals as required. They were treated with kindness and compassion and there were positive interactions between staff and the people living at the location.

Relatives and staff were confident about approaching the registered manager if they needed to and they responded to complaints and concerns appropriately.

This inspection took place on 14 and 16 December 2015. The inspection was unannounced. The last inspection was undertaken 7 October 2013. The provider met the standards they were assessed against in this inspection. Further information of this report can be found on the CQC website

At the time of the inspection, there was not a registered manager in post as required by the conditions of registration. The service last had a registered manager in post in July 2015. 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.

Southside Specialist Dementia Care is a residential home for people with a diagnosis of working age Dementia. There were 11 people residing at Southside when the inspection was undertaken. People had access to communal areas including a lounge, dining room and a large garden if they so wished.

Staff were knowledgeable about protecting people and keeping them safe.

Staff knowledge demonstrated the provider had identified individual risks to people and put actions in place to reduce the risks.

Staffing levels were based on the individual care needs of the people who lived at the home. We saw there was enough staff to care for people.

Systems were in place to manage people’s medicines so that people received their medicines safely by appropriately trained staff.

People who used the service were supported by knowledgeable staff with the relevant training.

The provider had followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and had appropriately submitted applications for authority to deprive people of their liberty in people’s best interests.

People were supported to have sufficient food and drink to remain healthy. People’s individual and specific dietary needs were met.

We observed positive interactions between staff and people during the inspection. Staff worked with people in a friendly way and with care and respect.

Staff promoted people’s privacy and dignity and treated people with care and respect.

People were involved in their own care and making decisions as much as possible.

The staff responded quickly to changes in people’s care needs.

Care planning reviews regularly took place about people’s health needs to make sure staff had met the needs of people.

There was a complaints procedure in place and complaints were addressed quickly.

Relatives were positive about the service people received and spoke positively about the staff.

Most people who used the service were not able to express their views verbally. However, there were systems in place to enable staff to identify people’s choices.

There were quality audits in place to ensure that people were kept safe and received a quality service. However not all audits were used effectively to make changes in a timely way.

We used a range of methods to understand the care and gain the views of the people who lived at the home as not all were able to talk to us. We also spoke with five members of staff, two people living at the home and one family member who visited on the day of inspection. We looked at policies and processes, reviewed three care records and three staff records to gain further insight of the care provided.

We found that Southside was a homely environment. People who lived there were treated with care and consideration and efforts were made to promote independence and preserve individuality. The home has a garden which people were seen to enjoy and various activities that were arranged both in the home and elsewhere that met individual needs.

There were systems in place to ensure staff were recruited appropriately and supported with training and guidance by the provider. Staff were satisfied with the training provided and had attended training relevant to people's needs. Staff told us that they really enjoyed working there. Most staff had worked there for some time and clearly knew the people who lived there well.

We found evidence of quality processes including incidents, audits and care reviews. We saw that where issues were raised action was taken as a result. People we spoke with who lived at the home told us they really liked the staff and living at Southside. It was clear observing people who were unable to talk to us that they felt safe and supported by staff.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences and the views of people using the service because the people were unable to tell us their experiences. The service offered people choices, and ensured that they were involved with decisions such as what to wear, what to eat and what activities to choose for the day. Peoples’ dignity and privacy was respected at all times. To assist people to settle into the home they were able to attend day care prior to admission and this ensured a smooth transition for people moving into the home.

Care and treatment met peoples’ needs. We spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives to obtain their views about the care provided. One person who used the service told us they were happy with the care they received. We spoke with two relatives, one said, “I think they are excellent”. Another relative when speaking about the staff said, “They are carers because they care, rather than just doing a job”.

We were satisfied that people were safe within the service.

The service recognised the merit in supporting the staff to deliver the care requirements of the people. We spoke with three care staff and they all felt well supported by the management team. One member of staff told us they felt able to ask for additional career support if they wanted.

The service had received only a few complaints and staff were aware of how to deal with them when they occurred.