About the service:

The Red House is a residential care home, providing personal care and accommodation for people aged 65 and older. At the time of our inspection 29 people were living in the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were safe living in the service. Risks had been identified and people told us they felt safe and well looked after.

Staff were kind and caring and supported people to be as independent as possible.

People had access to healthcare professionals when required.

Staff knew how to care for people. Staff used their skills and the resources and equipment provided so they risk of accidental harm or infections was reduced. People were supported to have the medicines they needed to remain well and as prescribed.

People were supported to eat and drink. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

The registered manager had clear oversight of the service and worked alongside staff. Staff were respectful of the register manager and told us they were approachable and supportive.

We found the service continued to meet the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas; More information is available in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (The date of the last report published was 19 July 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor this service in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated as Good.

The Red House Welfare & Housing Society provides accommodation and personal care for up to 34 older people, some living with dementia.

There were 26 people living in the service when we inspected on 20 June 2016. This was an unannounced inspection.

There was a registered manager in post, who was also a provider. 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.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. Risk assessments provided guidance to staff on how risks to people were minimised. There were appropriate arrangements in place to ensure people’s medicines were stored and administered safely.

Staff were available when people needed assistance, care and support. The recruitment of staff was done to make sure that they were suitable to work in the service and people were safe. Staff were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

The service was up to date with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 20015 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People’s nutritional needs were assessed and met. People were supported to see, when needed, health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner. People and/or their representatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

People were provided with personalised care and support which was planned to meet their individual needs. People were provided with the opportunity to participate in activities which interested them. A complaints procedure was in place. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner and used to improve the service.

There was an open and empowering culture in the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were addressed promptly. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.

When we inspected this service on 31 January 2013 we found concerns that compromised people's care and welfare. This was due to inadequate care planning and risk assessments being in place. There was no evidence that confirmed people had been consulted or involved in their plan of care. We found that people had not been assessed or monitored with regard to their nutritional and dietary needs. We asked the provider to make improvements.

At this follow up inspection we found improvements had been made. During our inspection on 11 April 2013 we saw that people who used the service or their representatives had consented to the care plans in place. People's individual risk assessments had all been reviewed and updated within the past three months.

We found that people's personal care needs were being met. There were suitable arrangements in place that ensured people's dignity was maintained. We saw people's rights to independence and personal choice were being maintained and people were supported by caring and well trained staff.

One person told us, "I like living here as there is always someone to talk to and before I moved here I was lonely living at home on my own ." Another person told us, "Although staff are always busy they always come when I call them and I never have to ask for anything more than once." We were told by two people that they considered that The Red House offered "Good value for money."

As part of this inspection we spoke with seven people who used the service and five staff members. All seven people who used the service told us that they were happy with the support they received and that they felt safe. We were told by two staff that there had been some recent improvements to the service that included additional staffing at key times, improvements to domestic and catering duties and also improved training opportunities.

Three staff told us that they considered the new relief manager both approachable and professional and they had provided them with a good system of support which enabled them to carry out their role effectively and safely.

People told us that they were able to choose what activities they liked to do and another person told us that they “Liked the choice of meals provided”. One person told us that "I like all the staff and I am happy here."

We found that some care plans had not been updated since 2011 and there were inadequate systems in place that identified and recorded people’s individual risks.

We found that people had not been fully assessed when they moved into the service with regard to their nutritional needs.

Some people had not signed or consented to the content of their care plans.

We spoke with four people using the service and two relatives. They all told us that they were happy with the support they received and that they felt safe. One person explained that they had visited several services when they needed residential care for their relative and as soon as they entered the Red House they immediately knew that it was “The right place.”

We found that all 12 relatives that responded to a questionnaire completed by the service in 2012 considered the Red House to be a homely and caring environment. One person stated that “There is always love and warmth in this home.” Another person commented that “There is a great community spirit here.”

We found that the service was meeting the personal, emotional and healthcare needs of people using the service. We found that the environment was maintained safely and odour free and that all health and safety checks were up to date.

Four people told us that they found the standard of meals was good with one person stating that “The food here is like old fashioned home cooking, just how I like it and nothing is too much trouble. I can even have wine if I want it.”

People told us that they had been able to bring in personal items from their own homes in order to make their bedrooms more familiar and homely.

We found that not all mandatory training was up to date.

We spoke with seven people who used the service who told us that they felt that the staff treated them respect and kindness. They told us that the staff assisted them when they asked for help and answered call bells promptly. People said that they were consulted about the care that they were provided with.

People who were spoken with told us that the food was of good quality and that they were always provided with choices of meals. Three people told us that there were activities that they could participate in if they chose to.