This inspection took place on 8 and 9 May 2017 and was unannounced.

The Hayes provides accommodation and personal care for up to 50 people. There were six vacancies at the time of inspection, one of the rooms was used for people who wanted to have a short stay in the home. The service is located in Sherborne and is a large detached single storey building. There are several fully accessible showers and assisted bathrooms available for people. The accommodation is split into five cottages, each with ten bedrooms. Each cottage has its own lounge and dining areas and kitchen. The Home has a larger communal lounge area and several outside areas which are accessible for people.

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.

People did not always receive their pain medicines as prescribed because staff were administering them ‘as required’. For example, one person had pain relief prescribed to be administered four times daily. Staff were not administering this four times daily, but offering it to the person and only administering if the person told staff that they wanted their pain relief. People were able to tell us that they were not in pain and were asked whether they wanted their pain relief and the registered manager was writing to people’s GP’s to request that their prescriptions be reviewed to reflect that they required pain relief as required.

People were protected from the risk of harm by staff who understood the possible signs of abuse and how to recognise these and report any concerns. Staff were also aware of how to whistle blow if they needed to and reported that they would be confident to do so.

Staff were aware of the risks people faced and understood their role in reducing these. People had individual risk assessments which identified risks and actions required by staff to ensure that people were supported safely.

There were enough staff available and people did not have to wait for support. People had support and care from staff who were familiar to them and knew them well. Staff were consistent in their knowledge of people’s care needs and spoke confidently about the support people needed to meet these needs.

The home had good links with health professionals and regular visits and discussions meant that people were able to access appropriate healthcare input promptly when required.

People were supported by staff who had the necessary training and skills to support them. Training was provided in a number of areas and refresher sessions were booked for certain topics on a regular basis.

Staff understood and supported people to make choices about their care. People's legal rights were protected because staff knew about and used appropriate legislation. Where people had decisions made in their best interests, these included the views of those important to the person and considered whether options were the least restrictive for the person.

People spoke positively about the food and had choices about what they ate and drank. The kitchen were aware about people’s dietary needs and where people required a special diet or assistance to be able to eat and drink safely this was in place.

Staff knew people well and interactions were relaxed and caring. People were comfortable with staff and we observed people being supported in a respectful way. People were encouraged to make choices about their support and staff were able to communicate with people in ways which were meaningful to them.

People were supported by staff who respected their privacy and dignity and told us that they were encouraged to be independent.

People were supported by staff who knew their likes, dislikes and prefer