We carried out this unannounced inspection on the 23 January 2017. Abbeygate Care Centre provides accommodation and care for up to 17 older people who may also have dementia. At the time of our inspection 16 people were residing at the home. The home was previously registered under a different provider/legal entity and this was the first inspection of this provider.

The provider is required to have 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. The previous registered manager had left in December 2016. The provider had interim management arrangements in place which included them working in the home on a daily basis. The registered provider was in the process of recruiting to the role of home manager with the intention of the successful applicant also applying to become the registered manager.

People were protected from abuse by staff who had been trained to recognise and report concerns. Risks to people's safety had been identified and people were supported in a safe way. People were supported with their medicines and took them as they had been prescribed by their doctor. We saw that there were enough staff available to meet people's needs and to keep them safe. Recruitment procedures were in place and checks were carried out on the suitability of new staff to minimise risks to people. .

Staff had a planned induction to prepare them for their role and had training and support to ensure they understood and met people's needs effectively. Staff had been provided with training to enable them to meet people’s needs. People enjoyed their meals and were supported to eat and drink and staff knew who was at risk of choking and how to avoid this. People had access to health care professionals to promote their health and well-being.

People were supported by staff who we saw were patient, caring, and showed a genuine interest in them. People's privacy and dignity was protected and staff encouraged people’s independence.

People were enabled to make decisions about their care and felt that staff knew their preferences and routines. Activity provision was being extended to ensure people had fun and stimulating things to do. People and their relatives had access to a complaints process if they were dissatisfied with any aspect of the service provision.

There was a management team that people and relatives could access if they had the need. The provider had systems in place to regularly check on the quality of the service and these had been effective in identifying where improvements were needed. The provider had plans to make the identified improvements. The provider was obtaining people's views on service provision and was acting on their feedback. The overall governance and leadership of the home was effective in ensuring people had their needs met.