All of the seven people we spoke with gave us positive feedback about the service. One of them said, “I get a lot of help from the staff who are all very kind to me. They’re cheerful and they want to help people.”

People had not been given accurate information about the fees they would have to pay. Records did not clearly show that people had been correctly charged for the facilities and services they had received.

People said they received all of the health and personal care they needed. Records confirmed that assistance had been provided in a safe, reliable and responsive way.

There were reliable systems for managing medication so that people safely received all of the medicines they needed.

Records showed that security checks had been completed on staff to help ensure that only suitable and trustworthy people were employed in the service.

Although quality checks had been completed some of them had not been sufficiently robust. This had resulted in people being at increased risk of being accommodated in a safe environment.

During our visit we spoke with five people who lived at the home, three members of staff, a visiting professional and other people who were visiting their relatives. We spent time observing how people were supported. We also looked at three people’s care records and spoke with the registered manager.

People told us they were happy living in the home. They made comments such as, “I choose what I want to do”, “Get a long nicely here, they [staff] do a great job” and “Staff keep me safer here than I am at home.”

People said they knew what to do if they were unhappy with anything or needed to make a complaint. One person said, “I know what to do if I have a grumble, staff usually help me to sort it out.”

We saw people received individualised care and support, from staff that were knowledgeable about their needs, wishes and preferences.

A visiting professional said, “The care and treatment for the residents is impeccable.” Another visitor told us, “xxx is safe here.”

One person we spoke with told us, “It’s a lovely, friendly place to live.” Another person said “They are very good staff. All seem to work well together.”

We inspected The Haven Care Home on 7 and 8 January 2016. The inspection was unannounced.

The Haven Care Home provides personal care and support for up to 29 older people, some of whom experience needs related to conditions such as dementia. It is located in a residential area within the village of Metheringham, Lincolnshire.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way to protect themselves. At the time of the inspection four people who lived in the home had their freedom restricted in order to keep them safe and the registered provider had acted in accordance with the MCA and DoLS.

People were safe living in the home. Staff cared for them in a warm and pleasant manner and upheld their rights to privacy, respect and dignity. People were also supported to maintain as much independence as they were able to.

People were supported to make their own decisions and choices wherever they were able to do so. Where people were not able to do so staff acted in their best interests and followed the guidance of the MCA. Those who were important in people’s lives were consulted and kept informed about their care.

People received all of the healthcare support they required in a timely manner. They also received a range of nutritious foods and drinks that met their assessed needs as well as their choices and preferences.

The culture within the home was based on openness and inclusion. People, their relatives and staff members were encouraged to express their views. Staff were guided and supported by the registered manager to provide a good quality of care for people and develop their skills and knowledge. They were recruited in a way that ensured they were suitable to work with people in the home and received training in order to meet people’s individual needs and preferences.

The registered manager had systems in place to regularly assess and improve the quality of care and services provided within the home. They acted in accordance with their responsibilities as a manager who was registered with CQC.