The inspection took place on 20 and 21 September 2016. We announced the inspection to the provider at 4.30pm on 19 September 2016. This was because the registration covers a range of different services and we wanted to make sure managers from each service would be available to meet with us and arrange for us to visit and meet with people using the services.

The last inspection took place 27 September 2013

Whiteley Village is a retirement community near Walton upon Thames in Surrey. The Village includes a nursing home, Whiteley House, for up to 86 older people and a residential home, Ingram House, for up to 27 older people, known collectively as the Care Centre. There is also an extra care scheme, Huntley House, for up to 51 older people living in their own flats and receiving personal care when they needed. The service is also registered to provide personal care to anyone living within the village in one of their 262 almshouse cottages and 16 privately owned houses.

The village is run by The Whiteley Homes Trust, a registered charity. The Trust states that it's role is ''To enable our older residents to be as independent as possible and contribute as much as they can to Village life.'' The Trust's admission criteria for people wishing to live in the almshouses or Huntley House is “older generations” (those who have reached state pension age) who are of limited financial means. The Trust accepts people who fund or part fund their own care at the Care Centre.

Whiteley Village is registered to provide four regulated activities. Three of these, accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care, diagnostic and screening procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury for the Care Centre; and the regulated activity of personal care for Huntley House and the domiciliary care service in the rest of the village. At the time of our inspection 95 people were living in the Care Centre and 62 people were receiving personal care and support at Huntley House or in the rest of the village.

There was a registered manager in post for the regulated activity of personal care. The registered manager for the Care Centre had left the organisation earlier in 2016. The person who managed Whiteley House and Ingram House had applied to be registered with the Care Quality Commission and this application was being processed. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People living at Whiteley Village were happy there. They felt their needs were met. People felt safe with the care provided and within the environment. There were clear procedures to safeguarding people from the risk of abuse and to investigate any allegations of abuse. The risks to people's safety and wellbeing had been assessed and the staff had guidance on how to help keep people safe. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. There were enough staff and they were recruited in a suitable way.

People consented to their care and treatment. Where people had difficulty making decisions the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed to ensure people's rights were protected. People's nutritional needs were being met and people living in the Care Centre, Huntley House and the rest of the village had access to freshly prepared nutritious meals if they wanted these. People were supported to stay healthy and their mental and physical health were assessed, monitored and their needs were met. They had access to doctors and other healthcare professionals and the staff worked closely with these professionals to ensure people received the right support.

The staff liked working at the village and felt their views and opinions were listened to. They had access t

We inspected Whiteley House which has a maximum capacity of 86 people some of whom have complex nursing needs.

During our inspection, we spoke to seven people who lived in the house, six staff, one volunteer and four relatives as well as the registered manager. We carried out this inspection to look at the care and treatment of people who used the service.

We found that each person had a comprehensive care plan that included up to date information. Staff that we spoke with were knowledgeable about the information contained in people’s care plans.

Everyone we spoke with was happy with the care provided. We were told “All staff have an understanding of their needs” and that people were “Generally well cared for.”

We saw evidence that staff had received training in how to identify possible signs of abuse.

We saw on the day of our inspection that the premises were well maintained and safe for the people who lived there.

People that we spoke with told us that generally they felt there were enough staff on duty each day. They said that they did not have to wait for their call bell to be answered. We looked at staffing rotas and call bell records to confirm this.

We saw that staff received regular appraisals and had the opportunity to develop professionally. Staff were happy working at Whiteley House. We were told “There’s a good team spirit.”

The provider monitored the quality of the service and we looked at the results of the latest surveys.

Our initial inspection visit which took place on 01/11/2012 identified concerns and shortcomings in relation to people receiving adequate assessments of their needs and some people were not being supported with eating and drinking where necessary. This was also reflected within the records of care plans for people using the service. On 23/11/2012 a follow up inspection was undertaken to ensure compliance.

We spoke to the manager and also reviewed the care plans for four people using the service. We saw that there had been significant improvements to records within the care plans that we reviewed and also saw evidence of new practice's that had been introduced in order prevent any further shortcomings. This included a new protocol for people at risk of malnutrition, themed audits and a new action plan for changes of dependency. The manager told us further training was being implemented to ensure that all staff were aware of the importance of carrying out nutritional risk assessments and adapting care plans to reflect those needs.

The care plans reviewed had all been audited and all concerns that were identified had been addressed. No other concerns were identified.

There were 69 people using the service at the time of the inspection visit. We spoke with seven people and six members of staff. We also made observations throughout the visit and we reviewed seven care plans related to individual people using the service.

We saw that staff were communicating with people respectfully and were giving encouragement at all times throughout the day. People we spoke with told us that they felt they were treated with dignity and respect and felt safe with staff.

One person said "They are very good, they have a lot to put up with here. They do everything everyone asks them to do. I am amazed."

We saw that there was a wide range of nutritious food and hydration available and the people we spoke to all agreed that they felt they had enough food. One person told us “I have asked for a sandwich in the middle of the night before and got it.”

People we spoke with told us that they had no concerns relating to their medications and that they understood the reasons why they were taking their medication. We observed good practice during the medication rounds and saw that the nurse was engaging with the people in a manner which was understandable. However, we did see that records were not always accurate for the recording and obtaining of medicines.

We found shortcomings in relation to people receiving adequate assessments of their needs and some people not being supported with eating and drinking where necessary.

We spoke with people living in the care home and those receiving care from the DCA, All were complimentary regarding the care they received from the staff. We were told staff were kind, caring and helpful and people in the care home told us they felt safe.

People told us they liked living in the village. If they lived in the care home or received care from the DCA they told us they could access anything that was happening for example garden parties or the Jubilee party held in the care home.