The Manse is a residential care home for 21 older people. The home is close to Castleford and Pontefract. The home has accommodation over two floors.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People received support which was individual to their needs, and risks were minimised wherever possible. Staff received training and support which helped them be effective in their roles. We saw people chose what they would like to do with their time and who they spent this with. The registered manager ensured the quality of the service was monitored, and improvements were made when required. People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The Manse is a residential care home for 21 older people. The home is close to Castleford and Pontefract. The home has accommodation over two floors.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People received support which was individual to their needs, and risks were minimised wherever possible. Staff received training and support which helped them be effective in their roles. We saw people chose what they would like to do with their time and who they spent this with. The registered manager ensured the quality of the service was monitored, and improvements were made when required. People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We spoke with two people who were resident at the service and two relatives to gain feedback about The Manse.

People told us they were happy with the care being provided at the home and were happy with the staff. One relative told us “Mum feels like she’s in a guest house. When we have been out for a coffee the staff welcome her back, there is a really good sense of belonging.”

The residents we spoke with told us they liked living at The Manse, one resident told us “If it wasn’t good I wouldn’t be here.”

The relatives we spoke with had all been involved in care planning and were happy that a good standard of care was being provided. Comments included:

“She gets well fed and looked after.”

“I am comfortable that my mum is taken care of, I feel included and welcomed when I visit.”

“I have absolute peace of mind.”

The bedrooms and communal living areas we looked around were clean and tidy. We found there were a number of issues around waste management and hand hygiene. This raised concerns around an increase in the spread of infection.

Some people living at The Manse had dementia; as such their ability to recall their experiences and express their views was limited. Therefore, some people who lived at The Manse were not always able to tell us about incidents and/or events at The Manse. Those who were able to communicate told us what it was like to live at the home and described how they were supported by staff and their involvement in making choices about their care. They also told us about the quality and choice of food and drink available. This was because this inspection was part of a themed inspection programme to assess whether older people living in the home were treated with dignity and respect and whether their nutritional needs were being met.

The inspection team was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector and joined by a practising professional.

Because people with dementia are not always able to tell us about their experiencs, we sat in the dining room during the lunch time period to observed their mood and how they interacted with staff and their environment. We call this the 'Short Observational Framework for Inspection' (SOFI). This involved us observing in a formal way people who used the service for a period of one hour and recording their experience at five minute intervals.

People told us they felt safe living at the home and if they were worried about anything they would tell the manager. One person said “You feel safe in here” and other people confirmed they didn’t feel at risk within the home.

One person said “It’s great, it’s the best.” People also said they were involved in their care, with their preferences being sought and taken into consideration. This included being enabled and supported to live their lives as independently as they wished.

People told us they were happy with the food served at the home. They were able to make suggestions and requests for future meals. If they didn’t like what was on the menu they were able to ask for something else to be prepared. We observed some people needing encouragement to eat their meal. Staff were respectful of people’s dignity during this time.

One person said “The staff are very good, lovely people” and another person told us “The staff look after me well all the time.” People said they could approach the staff at any time if they wanted something and they were always available.

The people who live in the home have dementia and have some communication difficulties. However they were able to express themselves in different ways and indicated they were happy in the home. One person said “I am happy here”.

People were observed being supported by staff in a kind respectful manner and in a way that upheld their dignity. Though not all people in the home could express themselves verbally staff had worked in the home for a number of years and understood peoples needs .

We spoke with the registered manager who was able to provide evidence of action taken to ensure the environment was kept clean and well maintained.

We looked around the home and found that liquid soap was readily available.

We saw that the provider had taken appropriate steps to address the concerns raised.