Beresford Lodge is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 26 older people, however there is currently only space for 18 people due to some rooms requiring refurbishment. There were 16 people living at the home at the time of our inspection, some of whom had a dementia related condition. Accommodation is split over two levels with lift access to the first floor. There was an enclosed garden to the rear of the building.

We last inspected the service in December 2014 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all of the fundamental standards we inspected against.

A registered manager was in post and this manager had not changed since our last inspection of the service. 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.

There were safeguarding procedures in place. Staff were knowledgeable about what action they should take if they suspected people were at risk. The local authority safeguarding team informed us that were no on-going organisational safeguarding matters regarding the service.

The well-maintained premises were clean and comfortable. Tests and checks were carried out to ensure that the environment, equipment and premises were safe.

Recruitment checks continued to be carried out to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable older people. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Records confirmed that training was available to ensure staff were knowledgeable and suitably skilled. Staff were supported through regular supervision and appraisal meetings.

People's nutritional needs were met and they were supported to access healthcare services as required. Medicines were managed safely and in line with best practice.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operations of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) including the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and to report on what we find. MCA is a law that protects and supports people who do not have the ability to make their own decisions and to ensure decisions are made in their ‘best interests’. It also ensures unlawful restrictions are not placed on people in care homes and hospitals. In England, the local authority authorises applications to deprive people of their liberty. We found the provider was complying with their legal requirements. The registered manager and staff had applied and followed the principals of the MCA appropriately.

We observed a lot of positive interactions between staff and people who lived at the service. Privacy and dignity was promoted and protected. Care records showed people were involved in their care and support. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them to be as independent as possible. Staff sought people’s consent before carrying out any care or support.

Person-centred care plans were in place which detailed the individual care needs and support each person required. There was a range of activities on offer which were meaningful and interesting to people. Staff also provided one to one social support to people.

No complaints had been received since our last inspection and there was a complaints procedure on display in the home. Lots of positive feedback had been received from people, relatives and external professionals.

Audits were carried out to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Action plans were developed to address any areas which required improvement. Staff spoke highly of the registered manager. They told us they felt valued and enjoyed working at the home. We observed that they approached their roles with a kind and caring attitude.

Beresford Lodge is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 26 older people, however there is currently only space for 18 people due to some rooms requiring refurbishment. There were 16 people living at the home at the time of our inspection, some of whom had a dementia related condition. Accommodation is split over two levels with lift access to the first floor. There was an enclosed garden to the rear of the building.

We last inspected the service in December 2014 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all of the fundamental standards we inspected against.

A registered manager was in post and this manager had not changed since our last inspection of the service. 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.

There were safeguarding procedures in place. Staff were knowledgeable about what action they should take if they suspected people were at risk. The local authority safeguarding team informed us that were no on-going organisational safeguarding matters regarding the service.

The well-maintained premises were clean and comfortable. Tests and checks were carried out to ensure that the environment, equipment and premises were safe.

Recruitment checks continued to be carried out to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable older people. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Records confirmed that training was available to ensure staff were knowledgeable and suitably skilled. Staff were supported through regular supervision and appraisal meetings.

People's nutritional needs were met and they were supported to access healthcare services as required. Medicines were managed safely and in line with best practice.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operations of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) including the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and to report on what we find. MCA is a law that protects and supports people who do not have the ability to make their own decisions and to ensure decisions are made in their ‘best interests’. It also ensures unlawful restrictions are not placed on people in care homes and hospitals. In England, the local authority authorises applications to deprive people of their liberty. We found the provider was complying with their legal requirements. The registered manager and staff had applied and followed the principals of the MCA appropriately.

We observed a lot of positive interactions between staff and people who lived at the service. Privacy and dignity was promoted and protected. Care records showed people were involved in their care and support. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them to be as independent as possible. Staff sought people’s consent before carrying out any care or support.

Person-centred care plans were in place which detailed the individual care needs and support each person required. There was a range of activities on offer which were meaningful and interesting to people. Staff also provided one to one social support to people.

No complaints had been received since our last inspection and there was a complaints procedure on display in the home. Lots of positive feedback had been received from people, relatives and external professionals.

Audits were carried out to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Action plans were developed to address any areas which required improvement. Staff spoke highly of the registered manager. They told us they felt valued and enjoyed working at the home. We observed that they approached their roles with a kind and caring attitude.

During our inspection we spoke with five people who used the service and one relative. We examined the care records for five people. People told us that consent was gained before care was delivered.

We found people’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plans. One person said, “They are all lovely here, I wouldn’t get this service elsewhere, I’ve not got a single thing to complain about, I’m happy here and they are all good.”

We found that there were infection control systems in place and these were adhered to.

Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.

Records contained accurate and appropriate information. One staff member said, “We’ve made loads of progress on the records, they are really good now, they are so much better than they’ve ever been.”

In this report, the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time.

During our inspection we spoke with five people who used the service and four members of staff. People told us they were happy living at Beresford Lodge. One person said, "It's a good place to live, I can't think of anything I would change."

We found that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plans.

We concluded that people were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink and were supported to be able to eat sufficient amounts to meet their needs.

Records were not always maintained to an appropriate standard, which meant we were not able to confirm whether people's care and support needs were actually met.

People who used the service said they were pleased with the care and support provided by the home. They said staff were always polite and cheerful. They also said they were kind and caring.

We found people were given appropriate information and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. People told us staff treated them with respect and courtesy. One person said, "They always ask me my opinion."

People told us they were well cared for. One person said, "The staff are very good and kind." We found that people's needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with their individual care requirements.

Staff received professional development and people told us staff were well trained.

We saw the provider had systems in place to gather feedback from people who used the service, and to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service people received.

A number of people living at the home had dementia and were unable to tell us what they

thought about living in the home. However, people we spoke with who could communicate

their views said they liked living at the home. They said they liked the staff. They also said they liked the food and the staff were helpful.