This inspection was carried out on 16 May 2017 and was unannounced. At their last inspection on 3 February 2015, they were found to be meeting the standards we inspected. At this inspection we found that they had continued to meet all the standards.

Allington Court Care Home provides accommodation for up to 44 older people, including people living with dementia. The home is registered to provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection there were 39 people living there.

The service had a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 felt safe and staff knew how to work safely. They knew how to recognise and report any concerns. Individual risks were assessed and well managed which included reviewing any accidents to reduce the risk of a reoccurrence.

People were supported by enough staff who were recruited safely. The staff team was trained and supported in their role. There had been some issues with medicines but these had been identified and there was a plan in place to address them. There was regular and appropriate contact with health and social care professionals.

The staff team worked in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and ensured people were encouraged to make choices. People enjoyed a varied diet and were supported with eating or drinking as needed.

People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff spoke to people with kindness and were attentive. People, or their relatives if more appropriate, were involved in the planning of their care. Where needed, advocates also supported people. Confidentiality was promoted.

People received care that met their needs and their care plans were detailed and gave staff clear guidance.

There had been no recent complaints but relatives told us they were confident to raise one if needed. There was a provision of activities that promoted people’s wellbeing.

The management and staff team were committed to developing their knowledge and working with other agencies to improve the lives of the people they supported. Feedback about the leadership and management of the home was all positive. The inspection history for the service had been consistently positive. There were several effective quality assurance systems in place to identify and address any shortfalls. The registered manager was dedicated to promote a positive culture in the home.

There was a strong emphasis on a personalised and caring approach towards all the people using the service from staff and the registered manager. They cared for people in a holistic way rather than viewing their care needs in isolation.

The registered manager put a strong emphasis on continually striving to improve the services they provided to people. They promoted and regularly implemented innovative systems in order to provide a high-quality service

This inspection took place on 03 February 2015 and was unannounced.

Allington Court is registered to provide accommodation for up to 41 older people some live with dementia and require nursing care. On the day of the inspection there were 39 people using the service and a registered manager was in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 provider used safe recruitment practices staff were aware of their responsibility to protect people from harm or abuse.

Staff received regular training and knew how to meet people’s individual needs. Any important changes in people’s needs were passed on to all staff when they started their shifts, so that they all knew the up to date information. There were meetings held every day for staff to share information about people’s well-being and changing needs.

The staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff also understood the importance of giving people as much choice and freedom as possible. The manager had made appropriate applications for DoLS in order to keep people safe. Staff gained consent from people whenever they could and where people lacked capacity we saw that arrangements were in place for staff to act in their best interests.

People had appropriate food and drink and staff had access to accurate and up to date information to help them meet people’s needs.

Staff were kind and people appreciated the positive relationships they had with staff. This was also true for relatives. People using the service were complimentary about the staff providing the service. Choices were given to people at all times People’s privacy and dignity were respected and all confidential information about them was held securely.

Care plans were personalised and included information about people’s history and interests. People’s individual needs were assessed and were specific to people as individuals. Staff were knowledgeable about how to manage people’s individual needs and assisted people to take part in appropriate daily activities.

The service was well led by a manager who promoted a fair an open culture. They encouraged staff to take responsibility and supported their professional development. The manager also had a support structure in place from area managers. There were regular supervisions and appraisals to support staff.

The people we spoke with told us that they were being well cared for and well looked after. One person said "I like living here. The staff are good and so is the food." Another person said " I join in the activities sometimes but I like watching the television. I like the food and the staff are helpful."

We found that the home was meeting the standards we had inspected. People's privacy and dignity were respected. They received care and treatment that met their needs. There was a system for the safe management and administration of medicines and staff had been provided with relevant training and regular supervision so that they were competent in their roles. There was a system to assess and monitor the quaility of service. People's and their relatives' views had been sought, listened to and acted on.

Following concerns we had around peoples care and welfare we carried out an unannounced inspection in the early hours of Tuesday 12 March 2013.

We were unable to speak directly with some people who used the service so observation was significant in gaining an understanding of how well people were supported and cared for.

We noted that interactions between staff and people using the service were positive and people were generally involved in tasks.

People and their relatives were included in the care planning process and relatives were kept informed of any changes.

We saw that people were given a choice of foods and where necessary, people were supported to eat their meals choice their meals.

There was a system in place which safeguarded people from abuse and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Prior to our visit to Allington Court Nursing Home, on 20 August 2012, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had received information of concern regarding this service.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service. This was because some people had complex needs, which meant they were not able to tell us about their experiences.

The people we spoke with said that they were happy with the care and support they received. One person said that they ‘enjoyed the breakfast’ provided and another said the ‘staff were good and hard working’.

Most people we spoke with during our visit on 01 December 2011 were not able to express an opinion about the service but one person said the staff asked them if they were happy with how the home was run. On 06 December 2011 two relatives of people living in the home said on the telephone that the staff had got to know their relatives and provided as much choice for them as possible. They said they were very happy with the care provided and said they were involved in the care planning for their relatives. One relative said said that they had no concerns about the services provided and would not hesitate to make a complaint if they had one. The relatives we spoke with praised the staff and said that all the staff provided care in a professional way and that they were asked about their satisfaction with how the home was being run and were listened to by the manager.