The inspection was unannounced and took place on 12 April 2018. We agreed with the registered manager to return on 17 April 2018 to complete the inspection. This was the first inspection since the provider had registered the location on 27 July 2017. Prior to the inspection we had received concerns about care at the home and the inspection followed up on these concerns and we also discussed the information with partner agencies.

The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care, for a maximum of 50 people and there were 40 people living at the home on the first day of the inspection and 42 people on the second day of the inspection.

A registered manager was in place. A 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 felt safe living at the home and with the support of staff. Staff were available to people and demonstrated good knowledge about people living at the home.

People were cared for by staff who were trained in recognising and understanding how to report potential abuse. Staff knew how to raise any concerns about people’s safety and shared information so that people’s safety needs were met.

People were supported by staff to have their medicines and records were maintained of medicines administered. People and relatives also complimented the cleanliness of the home. Staff maintained good hygiene and used protective clothing when appropriate.

Staff told us training helped them meet the specific needs of the people living at the home and they attended regular training to ensure they kept their knowledge updated. The principles of the MCA (Mental Capacity Act) had been applied. Deprivation of liberty safeguarding (DoLS) applications had been made and reviewed appropriately. Staff spoken with understood the importance of gaining people’s consent to care.

People enjoyed a good choice of meals and were supported to access professional healthcare outside of the home, for example, they had regular visits with their GP and any changes to their care needs were recognised and supported by staff.

People said staff were caring and treated them with respect. We saw people were relaxed around the staff supporting them and saw some positive communication with staff. Staff showed us that they knew the interests, likes and dislikes of people and people were supported to enjoy various activities. We saw that staff ensured that they were respectful of people’s choices and decisions.

People knew how to raise concerns and felt confident they could raise any issues should the need arise and that action would be taken as a result.

The provider had systems in place to check and improve the quality of the service provided. However, we found that further improvements were needed to ensure people received a good dining experience and to ensure that actions identified in audits were made in a timely way.

People, relatives and staff were positive about the overall service. People, relatives and staff all complimented the registered manager and the improvements made under the new management. The registered manager demonstrated clear leadership and staff were supported to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively, so that people received care and support in-line with their needs and wishes.