Starmount Villa Residential Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is large detached building, with extensive grounds, on the outskirts of Radcliffe. It can provide accommodation and personal care for up to 30 older people. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people living at the home. At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

Staff members had been safely recruited. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. People were supported by staff who were trained and well supported in their job roles.

People and staff were protected from potential risk of harm as the service had identified and assessed any risks to them and reviewed these on a regular basis. Staff knew how to protect people from abuse.

People were supported with their health needs. A visiting health care professional told us the service worked very closely with them, and would make referrals promptly if needed and would always follow any advice given. Medicines were provided safely and when required. Staff received training and followed safe procedures for administering medicines.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

The home was very clean, well maintained, well decorated and comfortably furnished. People told us they enjoyed the food. We found meal times were social occasions and saw the food provided was plentiful and very well presented.

Everyone we spoke with spoke highly of the staff and the kind and caring nature of the support they received. Throughout our inspection we observed staff interactions that were relaxed, kind, compassionate, respectful and friendly. A visitor said, “My [relative] is here, which I am very pleased about. The staff and the management are superb, as is everything else. You just can’t fault this place at all.”

We found the provider to have a passionate commitment to people remaining part of a wider community and not becoming isolated in the home. The provider was continually developing meaningful and appropriate community links. There was a wide range of meaningful activities available to people both inside the home and in the local area. Visitors were encouraged and welcomed.

Enabling people to die with dignity and remembering those who had lived at the home was very important at the home.

Care records were person centred and identified what was important to and for the person.

Feedback was obtained from people who used the service, their families, representatives and staff and this was used to improve the service. There was a procedure to help people to complain if they wanted to. People told us they had no complaints.

The home was well managed. The home had a registered manager as is required. We found the providers and registered manager were compassionate and committed to providing an individualised and caring service. All the staff we spoke with and observed during our inspection shared this commitment.

Systems were in place to monitor and continually improve the quality of the service provided. The provider had notified CQC of significant events and displayed the rating from the last report.

Starmount Villa Residential Care Home is a two storey detached house set in its own well maintained grounds and is situated on the outskirts of Bury and Bolton. The home is registered to provide personal care and support for up to 30 older people. This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 29 April 2015. There were 30 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

We last inspected the home on 15 November 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the regulations that we reviewed.

The home had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who was present on the day of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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. The registered manager is also the co-owner of the home.

Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of the whistle-blowing procedures and they knew what to do if an allegation of abuse was made to them or if they suspected that abuse had occurred.

We found people were cared for by sufficient numbers of suitably skilled and experienced staff who were safely recruited. We saw that staff received the essential training and support necessary to enable them to do their job effectively and care for people safely.

People who used the service told us they felt the staff had the skills and experience to meet their needs. People were happy with the care and support they received and spoke positively of the kindness and caring attitude of the staff.

We found the system for managing medicines was safe and we saw how the staff worked in cooperation with other health and social care professionals to ensure that people received appropriate care and treatment.

We saw there were risk assessments in place for the safety of the premises. All areas of the home were clean and well maintained. Procedures were in place to prevent and control the spread of infection.

Systems were in place to deal with any emergency that could affect the provision of care, such as a failure of the electricity and gas supply.

People’s care records contained enough information to guide staff on the care and support required. The care records showed that risks to people’s health and well-being had been identified and plans were in place to help reduce or eliminate the risk. People and their relatives were involved and consulted about the development of their care plans. This helped to ensure the wishes of people who used the service were considered and planned for.

We saw that appropriate arrangements were in place to assess whether people were able to consent to their care and treatment. We found the provider was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS); these provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the care and support that people required. We saw people looked well cared for and there was enough equipment available to promote people’s safety, comfort and independence.

Food stocks were good and the meals provided were varied and nutritionally balanced. People told us they enjoyed the meals and that mealtimes were a pleasant experience.

To help ensure that people received safe and effective care, systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Regular checks were undertaken on all aspects of the running of the home and there were opportunities, such as questionnaires and meetings, for people to comment on the facilities of the service and the quality of the care provided.

During our visit we spoke with five people using the service and asked them to tell us how they felt they were being cared for. Their comments included; “It’s a lovely place, all so nice and so kind” also “Wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else” and “We are all well looked after, lovely”.

We saw that people's care records contained enough information to show how they were to be supported and cared for.

People were provided with a good choice of suitable and nutritious food and hydration to ensure their nutritional needs were met. We asked four of the people using the service to tell us what they thought of the food. Comments made included; “First class, lovely food and plenty of it” and “Really good, you couldn’t fault it”.

An inspection of the care records showed that people had access to other health care services. Staff worked closely with other agencies so that people's social, emotional and physical needs were effectively met. We were also made aware of the systems that were in place to make sure that information was passed on when a person's care was transferred to another service.

We saw that appropriate arrangements were in place to help safeguard people from abuse. One of the people we spoke with told us, "I feel perfectly safe with the staff; they are lovely, very patient".

Overall the system in place for managing the medicines was safe, although some aspects of the recording around medication management were not as robust as they should have been.

As part of our inspection we spoke with four residents. People told us “it’s very nice living here” and “they do a damned good job”.

We saw people appeared content and had choices about how they spent their day.

Peoples’ care records were clear and well maintained. We saw that peoples’ care needs had been considered and that care was being carried out according to those needs. People had been asked for their views in planning their care.

From our observations there were sufficient staff on duty to meet peoples’ care needs. Staff were calm and unhurried. People received care and support in a timely manner. Staff were polite and courteous when speaking with people.

One person we spoke with told us the staff “always come if you need them”. Another said “there always seem to be plenty of staff around and if they need more they get them”.

We found the home to be clean, tidy and well maintained throughout. Furnishings and the outdoor areas were in good order.

Regular checks were carried out to make sure the environment was safe for the people living at the home.

A clear procedure was in place for receiving, handling, considering and responding to complaints. We viewed the complaints log and found that no complaints had been raised by people since March 2011. We saw that a number of complimentary cards and letter recently received from the families of people living, or who had lived, at Starmount Villa.

The people that we spoke with were very complimentary about the staff and the way they were cared for. Some of the comments were:

“The staff are smashing, good fun, but respectful”.

“I can please myself and, more or less, do what I want”.

“I am so lucky to be here”.

“So much choice, food, activities, couldn’t ask for more”.

“The staff are lovely and look after me well”.

“First rate, I give them 10 out of 10”.

“Could not wish for a better place”.

“We have peace of mind”.

People told us that they “felt safe” and “trusted the staff”.

Relatives told us they were also involved in decision making about the care and support that was to be provided.