The inspection visit took place on 6 February 2017 and was unannounced.

Whiteacres Residential Care Home provides accommodation for up to 18 older people some of who live with dementia. At the time of our inspection 18 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

People’s nutritional needs were met. People had a choice of meals. On the day of our inspection we had to intervene to remind staff to check the temperature of the food. People who ate little of their meal were not effectively offered an alternative meal. People who required support with eating were supported.

People who used the service were safe. They were supported and cared for by staff who understood their responsibilities for protecting people from abuse and avoidable harm. The provider had recruitment procedures designed to ensure that only people suited to work at the service were employed.

People’s care plans included risk assessments of activities associated with their care routines. The risk assessments provided information for care workers that enabled them to support people safely but without restricting their independence.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably skilled and knowledgeable staff deployed to meet the needs of the people using the service.

People were supported to receive their medicines by staff that were trained in medicines management. The provider’s arrangements for storage and disposal of medicines were safe.

Care workers were supported through supervision and training.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff had awareness of the MCA. There were people at Whiteacres Residential Care Home who were under a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisation. Staff were supporting people in line with the authorisations.

People using the service were supported to access health services when they needed them.

Where they were able to be, people were involved in decisions about their care and support. They and their relatives received the information they needed about the service and about their care and support.

We observed staff treating people with dignity and respect when they supported them.

People and their relatives contributed to the assessment of their needs and to reviews of their care plans. Their care plans were centred on their individual needs. People or their relatives knew how to raise concerns if they felt they had to and they were confident they would be taken seriously by the provider.

The provider had arrangements for monitoring the quality of the service. These arrangements included asking for people’s feedback about the service and a range of checks and audits. The quality assurance procedures were used to identify and implement improvements to people’s experience of the service.

We spoke with three people using the service as part of our inspection. Many of the people using the service were unable to speak with us due to their condition. We carried out some observations of the care being delivered to these people to ensure that their needs were being met. We also spoke with four members of staff, including the provider.

People using the service who we were able to speak with were generally happy with the care being provided. They all spoke positively about the food provided and told us that there was plenty of food and drink offered throughout the day. One person said: "The food is excellent." Another person told us that they regularly went out of the home to attend a group and that they enjoyed the activities which the home provided.

Staff we spoke with told us that they felt supported. One staff member commented that: "If there are problems we let the management know and they sort it out. That's why I like it here." Another member of staff told us: "You tell them your problems and they tell you how you're getting on. The managers do back you up." We saw that staff supervisions and appraisals were carried out and that training in most areas was given to staff to ensure that care was being delivered safely.

We looked at the building and its surrounding grounds. We found that these were not being adequately maintained. The care records we looked at did not clearly show how people's ability to consent to their care had been assessed.

During our visit to the home we spoke to three people who used the service and five members of staff working at the home.

One of the people using the service told us, “I am very happy here. The carers are nice. I could say if I wasn’t happy but at the moment everything is lovely.” Another person who used the service told us that they felt safe at the home and thought it was a very homely environment in which to live.

The people using the service who we spoke to commented on the amount of trips out that the home arranged for them, stating “I go to Stroke club every Wednesday. We go on lots of trips. It is really nice.”

The staff we spoke to at the home all enjoyed working there and described a very open style of management. They told us that they felt comfortable going to the manager of the home if they needed to and felt that any issues would be dealt with effectively. One staff member told us, “I love it here. It’s hard work but because it’s small we really get to know the residents.”

One student nurse carrying out a work placement at the home commented that, “Everything I learnt at University is done here. The home is fantastic. I think it’s amazing. The staff and residents are really nice and it is very homely.”

Whiteacres Residential Care Home provides care and support for up to 18 older adults, including people with dementia or mental health needs and there were 18 people using the service during our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

We inspected the home on 30 October and Our previous inspection of 12 June 2013 found the provider had not maintained an area of the premises and the gardens properly which posed a risk to people. This was a breach of Regulation 15 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. We followed this up and found the provider had taken action to improve. The premises and surrounding gardens were maintained and safe for the people who lived at the home.

People we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the care and support provided. They had developed good relationships with their care workers and told us they were treated with kindness and respect and felt safe using the service.

We saw that people were well-supported by a staff team that understood their individual needs. Staff took the time to engage and interact with people in a meaningful way and had considered people’s dementia care needs in the way they responded to people.

Staff had a good understanding of the needs of people they cared for and were positive about their role and the home. Staff recruitment procedures were robust and ensured that appropriate checks were carried out before staff started work. Staff received a thorough induction and on-going training to ensure they had up to date knowledge and skills to provide the right support for people. They also received regular supervision and appraisals in line with the provider’s policy. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to ensure people’s needs were being met.

People’s needs were assessed and plans were in place to meet those needs. People’s wishes and preferences were taken into account and recorded in care plans. Staff understood what people’s individual needs were and acted accordingly. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were identified and plans were in place to manage those risks. People were supported to access healthcare professionals whenever they needed to and healthcare professionals we spoke with were positive about the quality of care being provided.

The registered manager was clear about their vision and aims for the home and had ensured this was understood by staff. They had continually taken action to develop and improve the service. Staff, relatives and people who lived there felt the registered manager was approachable and were confident that any concerns or issues they raised would be dealt with appropriately.

There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. This included gathering the views and opinions of people who used the service and monitoring the quality of service provided.