This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 15 August 2016.

St John’s Care Home can provide accommodation and personal care for 56 older people and people who live with dementia. There were 46 people living in the service at the time of our inspection. The accommodation is a two storey property with each floor being a self contained living area. There is a passenger lift giving step-free access around the accommodation and there is a walled garden with seats.

There was 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.

Staff knew how to respond to any concerns that might arise so that people were kept safe from abuse. People had been helped to avoid the risk of accidents and medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed.

Staff had received training and guidance and they knew how to support people in the right way including making sure that people were supported to keep their skin healthy. Although people had been assisted to eat and drink enough some aspects of the arrangements at meal times did not support people to enjoy their experience of dining. People had been supported to receive all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

Staff had ensured that people’s rights were respected by helping them to make decisions for themselves. The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to report on what we find. These safeguards protect people when they are not able to make decisions for themselves and it is necessary to deprive them of their liberty in order to keep them safe. In relation to this, the registered manager had taken the necessary steps to ensure that people only received lawful care that respected their rights.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, promoted their dignity and respected confidential information.

People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and they had been given all of the assistance they needed. This included people who could become distressed. Although people were helped to pursue their hobbies and interests some people wanted to be offered more opportunities to enjoy social activities. There was a system for resolving complaints.

Quality checks had been completed to ensure that people received the facilities and services they needed. Good team work was promoted and staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns because the service was run in an open and inclusive way. People had benefited from staff acting upon good practice guidance.