This inspection took place on 23 February 2007 and was unannounced. Abbeyfield Deben Extra Care Society provides accommodation and personal care for up to 24 people. On the day of our inspection there were 22 people living at 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 were not always supported to be as independent as they were able. People were supported in the least restrictive way possible but were not always supported to exercise maximum choice and control. Care plans did not always contain detailed information about how people wanted to live their lives or their personal history.

People felt safe living in the service. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required to keep them safe and recruitment procedures protected people from receiving unsafe care from care staff unsuited to the role. People had risk assessments in place which identified and managed people's known risks, and appropriate arrangements were in place to manage and store people's medicines.

People received care from staff that were supported to carry out their roles to meet the assessed needs of people living at the service. Staff received training in areas that enabled them to understand and meet the care needs of each person. People had their healthcare needs managed in a way that was appropriate for each person and people's nutritional needs were supported.

People received support from staff that treated them well and prioritised their needs. People were relaxed and comfortable around staff. People were encouraged to maintain good relationships with people that were important to them and the service was using modern technology to support this.

Systems were in place for the home to receive and act on feedback. There were policies and procedures in place to support the provision of good care and support.

This inspection took place on 12 May 2015 and was unannounced.

The service provides support and care for up to 24 people. On the day of our inspection there were 23 people living in the service.

There was 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.

People told us that they felt safe living in the service. They told us they were treated with dignity and respect. We saw staff interacting with people and they did so in a kind, caring and sensitive manner. Staff showed a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and were clear about the actions they would take to protect people.

Recruitment checks had been carried out before staff started work. Where people had raised concerns at a residents meeting regarding the number of staff available to support them at particular times of day this had been addressed by the manager who was taking concerns to the executive committee for the service.

There were suitable arrangement for the safe storage, management and disposal of medicines. People received their medicines safely.

We found that detailed assessment had been carried out and that the care plans were developed around the needs and preferences of the individual. We saw that risks were assessed and where appropriate plans on how the risks were to be managed were put in place. People told us that they were supported with taking every day risks.

Where people had expressed concerns about the number of staff on duty to provide care, particularly at times of the day where demand for support was concentrated the manager was addressing this.

Meal times were communal affairs. Staff ate with people, any visiting relatives and friends. This promoted an inclusive and relaxed atmosphere. People’s individual nutritional needs were assessed and appropriate action taken if concerns were identified.

We found that people’s health care needs were met. People told us that they had access to a range of healthcare providers such as their GP, dentist, chiropodist and optician. The service kept clear records about all healthcare visits.

Staff treated people with respect and ensured their dignity. They were aware of and respected people’s preferences as to how they wished to spend their time.

People told us that the service organised a variety of entertainments and excursions. They told us they were involved in suggesting these events and enjoyed them when they took place.

Regular residents and relatives meetings were held. Where actions or improvements had been suggested by people at these meetings we saw that the service took action to address any deficiencies.

The service had effective quality assurance systems. Were these identified areas for improvement we saw that these were addressed.

Our inspection of 10 May 2013 found areas of non compliance. We completed a follow up inspection on 4 September 2013 to check that improvements had been made.

We found that the provider had made improvements to the way they supported their staff. The provider had taken appropriate steps to implement effective systems to train and supervise their staff. We were satisfied that the provider had taken all necessary actions to meet with the regulations for supporting workers.

During our inspection we spoke with six people who used the service and asked them to tell us how they felt they were being cared for. One person told us, “Goodness yes.” Another person said, “Fantastic." We asked people how they felt the staff treated them. One person said, "They are marvellous." Another person said, "It's very nice here. Anyone will do anything for you."

We saw that staff asked the people who used the service if they wished to participate in activities and receive support to meet their personal needs. We observed that staff gave people choices. People had good choices of meals offered and received good nutritional support.

The service had good infection control procedures in place and there had been no complaints since our last inspection.

We found shortfalls in the provider's support of workers.

During our visit we found that progress had been made with the care records and their management The risk assessment and care plans had improved and work was in progress to further develop the management of medical conditions, falls and end of life practices.

We spoke with ten people and they all said that they were well looked after and the care met their individual needs. One person told us “The care and attention that we all get is very very good.”