About the service: The Laurels is a residential care home providing accommodation and support for up to 40 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 38 people living in the service.

People’s experience of using this service: Consent was not always sought and recorded in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) as capacity assessments did not always include a clear decision to be made and the best interest process was not always recorded. It was not clear if applications to deprive people of their liberty had been made for all people who required this. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

Staff files did not reflect all safe recruitment practices had been adhered to. We made a recommendation about this in the main body of the report.

A range of checks were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, but we found that these were not always effective. We made a recommendation about this in the main body of the report.

People felt safe living in The Laurels and relatives were confident that their family members received safe care. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff on duty, who were knowledgeable about safeguarding processes and how to raise any concerns they had. Risks to people had been assessed and measures put in place to reduce those risks.

The environment of the home had been adapted to meet people’s individual needs and a plan of further refurbishment was underway.

People were supported to live healthier lives and staff worked closely with health and social care professionals to achieve this. People told us they saw a doctor quickly when they were unwell and received their medicines when they needed them and we saw that they were managed safely.

Feedback regarding meals was mixed, but everyone told us they had enough to eat and drink. We saw people had choice regarding meals and staff were aware of people’s dietary needs and preferences.

People told us staff were kind and caring and treated them with respect. Care was provided in ways to protect people’s dignity and privacy and to promote their independence. Staff knew people they supported well, including their needs and individual preferences and care plans in place were detailed and person centred.

People knew how to raise any concerns they had regarding their care and felt confident any issues would be addressed.

Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection under this registered provider.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on our methodology.

Enforcement: You can see what action we told the provider to take at the end of the full version of this report.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.