This inspection took place on 30 and 31 January 2017 and was unannounced.

The Lawns provides accommodation and personal care for up to 41 people. There were six vacancies at the time of inspection, one of these was a respite bed which was used for people who wanted to have a short stay in the home. The service is located in Weymouth and is a large detached building with bedrooms on both the ground and first floors. There are several fully accessible showers and assisted bathrooms available for people. There are lifts available to access the first floor of the home. The ground floor has a large lounge and dining area and people have access to a level garden to the rear of the home and use of a sensory room and several quiet lounge/seating areas throughout the home.

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 felt safe at the service, they 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.

People had individual risk assessments. Staff were knowledgeable about the risks people faced and their role in managing risk. We observed that risks were identified, communicated and managed promptly.

There were enough staff available so that people did not have to wait for support. People had support and care from staff who had been safely recruited and understood their needs. Staff were consistent in their knowledge of people’s care needs and spoke confidently about the support people needed to meet these needs.

People received their medicines safely and we saw that staff checked with people where they had medicines which were ‘as required. Medicines were stored and recorded accurately.

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. We identified that more specialist training would be of benefit and the registered manager arranged this promptly.

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.

Everyone described the food as good and there were systems in place to ensure people had enough to eat and drink. When people needed particular diets or support to eat and drink safely this was in place.

Staff received training in areas which were relevant to their roles and were encouraged to undertake learning and development in other areas relating to the needs of the people living at the home.

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 preferences. Staff told us that they communicated well and there were regular handovers at each shift change. There were clear processes in place for each shift and staff knew their roles and responsibilities.

People had individual care records which were person centred and gave details about people’s history, what was important to them and identified support they required from staff.

People had access to a range of activity options and had opportunities for one to one time with staff if this was their preference. The home had a sensory room which was used by staff