The inspection took place on 4 April and was unannounced. The inspection continued on 5 April 2017

Wimborne Care Home provides accommodation and nursing care to up to 26 elderly people with dementia. There were 16 bedrooms on the first floor 14 of which were en-suite. Two people shared a bathroom which was situated between their rooms. The first floor was accessed by a passenger lift or two sets of stairs. There were 14 en-suite bedrooms on the ground floor. A hair salon was also situated on the ground floor. The staff room, administrators and managers office were all on the second floor. The kitchen and laundry were on the ground floor. People had a communal dining room, lounge and conservatory which led out into a level access garden which had recently been landscaped.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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.

The registered manager had a good awareness of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and training records showed that staff had received training in Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS). The service completed capacity assessments and recorded best interest decisions. This ensured that people were not at risk of decisions being made which may not be in their best interest. Staff also had a good understanding of the principles linked to MCA.

People and staff told us that the service was safe. Staff were able to tell us how they would report and recognise signs of abuse and told us they had received safeguarding training. We reviewed the training records which confirmed this.

Care plans were in place which detailed the care and support people needed to remain safe whilst having control and making choices about how they lived their lives. Each person had a care file which also included guidelines to make sure staff supported people in a way they preferred. Risk assessments were completed, regularly reviewed and up to date.

Medicines were managed safely, securely stored, correctly recorded and only administered by registered nurses. Medicine Administration Records (MAR) reviewed showed no gaps. This told us that people were receiving their medicines as prescribed.

Staff had a good knowledge of people’s support needs and received regular mandatory training as well as training specific to their roles for example, pressure area care and dementia.

Staff told us they received regular supervisions which were carried out by management. We reviewed records which confirmed this. Competency assessments on staff were also carried out to ensure safe practice and reflective learning took place.

People were supported to maintain healthy balanced diets. Food was home cooked using fresh ingredients and people said that they enjoyed it. Food options reflected people’s likes, dislikes and dietary requirements. Diabetic dessert choices were being reviewed and improved by the registered manager, a dietician and the chef.

People were supported to access healthcare appointments as and when required and staff followed professional’s advice when supporting people with ongoing care needs.

People told us that staff were caring. We observed positive interactions between staff and people throughout the inspection. This showed us that people felt comfortable with staff supporting them.

Staff treated people in a dignified manner. Staff had a good understanding of people’s likes, dislikes, interests and communication needs. Information was available to people. This meant that people were supported by staff who knew them well.

There was system in place for recording complaints which captured the detail and evidenced steps taken to address them. People and relatives told us that that they felt able to