Westside is a care home which provides personal and nursing care for elderly adults. It is arranged over three floors and has a communal lounge and dining area. At the time of the inspection, there were 18 people using the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People told us that staff were friendly and caring and they felt safe in their presence. We saw staff caring for people in a way that promoted their dignity in a respectful manner.

We found there was a homely feel to the service, with relatives visiting throughout the day and being made to feel welcome by all the staff.

People told us they enjoyed the food in the home. They were offered a choice of meals which were appropriate for a balanced diet.

The provider had robust recruitment checks in place and we found there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Staff received mandatory training when they first joined which was refreshed on an annual basis.

People received their medicines on time from trained staff. They received appropriate care in relation to their health needs and the provider made referrals if people needed additional support, for example from their GP, dietitian and other health professionals.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Each person had an individual care plan which reflected their needs. The provider took steps to manage risk to people. Care plans and risk assessments were reviewed on a monthly basis which helped to ensure people had the appropriate care and support they needed.

There was an open culture in the home. The management team were approachable and supportive of staff. The provider engaged with people, relatives and staff and sought feedback from them. A number of quality assurance audits took place which helped to ensure good care was provided for people.

We inspected Westside Care Home on 5 February 2015. The inspection was unannounced.

Westside is a home which is registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 30 elderly people. At the time of our inspection there were 24 people living in the home.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We previously inspected Westside Care in February 2014. We found that it was not meeting all the legal requirements and regulations that we inspected. People were not adequately protected from abuse, the premises were not appropriately maintained to ensure they were safe and we were concerned that staff did not receive regular supervision and appraisal. We asked the provider to take action to make improvements. This action has now been completed.

During our inspection we found the service was meeting all the required standards. People told us they felt safe. Relatives also told us people living in the home were safe. Staff were knowledgeable about how to recognise the signs of abuse and how to report any concerns.

People had risk assessments which gave staff detailed information on how to manage the risks identified. Staff knew how to keep people safe in the event of a medical or other emergency. There was a sufficient number of suitable staff to keep people safe and meet their needs.

There were appropriate arrangements in place for the storage, administering, recording and disposal of medicines. Staff administered medicines safely. All areas of the home were clean and well maintained. Staff controlled the risk and spread of infection by following the service’s infection control policy.

People were satisfied with the quality of care they received. Care plans provided detailed information to staff about how to meet people’s individual needs. People were supported by staff who had the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver their care effectively.

People received a nutritious and balanced diet and had enough to eat and drink throughout the day. Staff worked with a variety of health care professionals to support people to maintain good health.

People living in the home and staff related well with each other. People told us the staff were kind and caring. People were treated with respect and were at the centre of decisions about their care. The provider listened to and learned from people’s experiences, concerns and complaints to improve the service.

Staff had clearly defined roles and understood their responsibilities. People felt able to discuss their care with staff and management. There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care people received.

We found that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. People were satisfied with their care. Comments we received included, “I love being here. I’m well looked after. “The care and staff couldn’t be better.” “The staff are lovely and seem very caring.”

People were protected from the risks of poor nutrition and dehydration because staff knew what represented a balanced diet and people's meals were prepared and delivered in accordance with their care plan. People told us they were happy with the quality and quantity of meals they were served. One person told us, "The food is good here and I get enough of it."

We found that people who use the service were not protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had not taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. Staff we spoke with lacked essential knowledge regarding safeguarding vulnerable adults.

People who use the service, staff and visitors were not protected against the risks of unsafe or unsuitable premises because the provider had not carried out adequate checks in relation to the water and electrical safety.

Staff were not supported by the provider to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard because staff did not receive appropriate training, supervision or appraisal.

Comments from people using the service were generally positive, indicating that staff were kind and helpful in meeting their care needs. People were observed to be treated with respect by staff and to have their privacy and dignity respected.

There were processes in place to ensure that people who use the service were able to contribute to discussions about how they preferred to be cared for and supported. Where they were unable to participate in this process they were represented by others who make decisions in their best interests.

We spoke with some of the people who use this service and they confirmed that they were happy however, some people had varying degrees of dementia and communication with them was difficult. The views of people who were able to comment on their experience can be summarised as follows "the whole place is excellent" and “the staff work hard and are very good to me “. All the people we met appeared to be happy and looked well cared for. Views expressed by visiting relatives during our visit indicated that the home provided a safe, pleasant and welcoming environment.

We saw the satisfaction surveys that had been completed in recently by representatives of people using the service and they were happy with the care being provided in the home.

Comments from people using the service were generally positive, indicating that staff are kind and helpful in meeting their care needs. People were observed to be treated with respect by staff and to have their privacy and dignity respected.