Stirling Park Residential Home is a care home providing accommodation and support for up to six people, some who are frail and may be living with dementia and others who are independent. The home is situated over two floors. At the time of the inspection three people lived at the home.

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this home on 19 February 2016. The service was last inspected in August 2013 and there were no concerns.

There is 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.

At this inspection we found that medicines were managed safely. People were given individual support to take part in their preferred hobbies and interests. There was a programme of activities at the home and people told us that they participated in these. However, care plans did not always reflect people’s individual needs.

People told us and demonstrated that they were happy at the service by showing open affection to the staff who were supporting them. Staff were available throughout the day, and responded to people’s requests for care. Staff communicated well with people, and supported them when they needed it. There were systems in place to obtain people’s views about the service. These included reviews and informal meetings with people and their families.

People were confident that the registered manager would deal with any complaints appropriately. People and their relatives told us they had no concerns. Staff had been trained in how to protect people, and they knew the action to take in the event of any suspicion of abuse towards people. Staff understood the whistle blowing policy. They were confident they could raise any concerns with the registered manager or outside agencies if this was needed.

People and their relatives were involved in planning their own care, and staff supported them in making arrangements to meet their health needs. The provider and staff contacted other health professionals for support and advice.

People were provided with a diet that met their needs. We observed that staff offered people drinks throughout the day.

Staffs had been with the service for some time, and were not subject to recent employment checks. Care plans and risks assessments lacked details of how people should be cared for and how to minimise risks and systems to monitor the quality of the service were not in place.

We found three breaches relating to staff support, ensuring people’s consent, and quality assurance.

There were five women living at the home. We met four women as one was in hospital. They told us they liked this home, they were happy and felt well looked after. One person said; "It's a lovely home and I'm glad to be here." People said they liked the food. One person said; "I am fed well" and another said the food was "not bad at all."

We found that staff knew people's individual needs and wishes well and everybody had individual attention every day from staff. People's health needs were well looked after and they were encouraged to take part in activities in the home. People told us they enjoyed regular contact with the provider's grandchildren and pets, especially those who were unable to see their family often.

The staff worked with other care providers such as community mental health nurses, GPs and psychiatrists and a palliative care team to make sure people's health needs were met.

We found there were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs. People were provided with equipment they needed for their safety and to help them maintain their independence.

We spoke with three people who used the service and with a healthcare professional who was visiting a person. We also checked three people's files and spoke to the staff. All the people we spoke with told us that they were involved and were happy with their care. They indicated that they could make decisions regarding when to go to bed or what kind of food to have. For example, one person said "I go to bed after 5 pm". Another person told us that the home provided meals that reflected their cultural and religious requirements.

We noted that the manager worked closely with health and social care professionals and people's needs were reviewed and updated regularly. A healthcare professional told us that they were happy the person who used the service was living at the home. They said the manager and staff were approachable if they had a concern and were available to talk to them. People who used the service were visited and supported by relatives but one person said they would benefit if they had an advocate or a befriender.

Staff had appropriate training to ensure medication was administered and monitored to people who used the service. There were enough staff on shift. However, the provider may wish to note that staff rota was not available to confirm that enough staff were always on shift at the home.

We noted that call bells in bedrooms were not in working order. We have made a compliance action as this had a moderate impact on people who used the service.

People in the home told us that the home was like living with a family. They told us that they liked the home because they were happy, comfortable and they were well looked after by staff. They told us the staff were "lovely."