White Gables Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 20 people, including older people and people living with dementia.

We inspected the home on 10 and 25 April 2018. The first day of our inspection was unannounced. On the first day of our inspection there were 20 people living in the home.

The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers (‘the provider’) 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.

We last inspected the home in August 2015 when we rated it as Good. In January 2017 we re-registered the home to reflect a change in ownership. This was our first inspection of the re-registered home and we were pleased to find that service quality overall had been maintained by the new owners and in some areas enhanced. The rating remains as Good.

Staff worked well together in a mutually supportive way and communicated effectively, internally and externally. Training and supervision systems were in place to provide staff with the knowledge and skills they required to meet people’s needs effectively. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s care and support needs and the recruitment of new staff was safe. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and supported people to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and the policies and systems in the home supported this practice.

Staff worked closely with local healthcare services to ensure people had access to any specialist support they required. Systems were in place to ensure effective infection prevention and control although some improvement was required to ensure people’s medicines were managed safely at all times. People’s individual risk assessments were reviewed and updated to take account of changes in their needs.

Staff were kind and attentive in their approach. People were provided with food and drink of good quality that met their individual needs and preferences. The new owners had upgraded the physical environment and facilities in the home to ensure they reflected people’s requirements. People were provided with physical and mental stimulation appropriate to their needs. Staff provided end of life care in a sensitive and person-centred way.

Although she had only been in post for a few months, the registered manager had established a positive organisational culture and won the respect and loyalty of her team. The provider had a commitment to continuous quality improvement and a range of audits was in place to monitor service provision. Systems were also in place to promote organisational learning from significant incidents and events. Formal complaints were rare and any informal concerns were handled effectively.