This inspection took place on 3 August 2016 and was unannounced.

Cherry Holt residential home is situated in the market Town of Retford and is registered to provide accommodation for up to 52 people who require nursing or personal care. At the time of inspection 52 people were using the service, meaning that the home was full.

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.

The staff understood their role in keeping people safe. People who used the service and those supporting them knew who to report any concerns to if they felt they or others had been the victim of abuse. Risks were assessed and any accidents and incidents were investigated so that steps could be put in place to avoid reoccurrence. There were enough staff with the right skills and experience to meet people’s needs. Medicines were stored, administered and handled safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported by staff who had received the training and supervision they needed to support people effectively.

People had consented to the care that they received. The registered manager applied the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivations of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), so that people’s rights were protected. People were asked for their consent before care and support was provided and this was respected.

People were able to choose what they ate and spoke positively about the food they received. When needed, people’s food and fluid intake was monitored so they could be assured that they had enough to eat and drink.

People’s healthcare needs had been assessed and were regularly monitored. The service worked well with healthcare professionals to ensure they provided effective care and support.

People were supported by staff who were caring and treated them with kindness, respect and dignity. People were encouraged to be independent and had access to independent advocacy services should they have required this support. There were no restrictions on friends and relatives visiting their family members.

Staff were responsive to people’s needs and people were supported to participate in activities. People and their relatives were involved with the planning of the care and support provided. Care plans were written in a way that focused on people’s choices and preferences. Regular monitoring of people’s assessed needs was conducted to ensure staff responded appropriately.

A complaints procedure was in place and people felt comfortable in making a complaint if needed.

There was a positive atmosphere within the home and people’s views were considered when making decisions to improve the service. People spoke highly of the registered manager. Processes were in place to check on the quality of the service and the registered manager had clear processes in place to continually improve the quality of the service that people received. The service had recently won awards acknowledging this.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed all the information we had received from the provider. As part of our inspection we spoke with four people who used the service. We also spoke with two care workers, an activities coordinator, the care coordinator, a nurse, the training manager, the clinical manager and the registered manager.

We spoke with two relatives about their views. We observed the support given by staff to people using the service. We also looked at records, including care files for four people and carried out a tour of the building.

We found people received care and support which met their needs. A person told us, “There is plenty to do and staff are very flexible. They listen to what we want.”

We saw the building was clean, safe and well maintained.

We found that staff were well trained and supported in their role. A person who used the service told us, “The staff are incredible, very professional and generous with their attention and care.”

We saw that there were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provided.

We found the service was well led.

People told us what it was like to live at this home and described how they were treated by staff and their involvement in making choices about their care. They also told us about the quality and choice of food and drink available. This was because this inspection was part of a themed inspection programme to assess whether older people living in care homes are treated with dignity and respect and whether their nutritional needs are met.

The inspection team was led by a CQC inspector joined by an “expert by experience” (people who have experience of using services and who can provide that perspective).

We spoke with four people in detail and they each told us they were happy with the way they were spoken to and cared for by staff at the home. One person told us, “they (the care staff) always use my first name and always speak to me in a respectful manner. I don’t need help with eating but I see other residents receiving help and the staff are always very patient with them." Another person told us, “I feel they treat me as they would their own family”.

One person told us how everyone contributed to what was on the menu, ”We all have a say in the menu. We have a residents meeting once a month where our likes and dislikes are discussed, we can say what we want and it’s always taken on board and then followed up at the next meeting”.

Another person said, “I have no trouble with the food. It is always hot with plenty of choice.”

We observed that staff frequently offered people hot and cold drinks with biscuits between meals. All drinks were placed within easy reach of individuals and assistance and gentle encouragement was given by staff where required. At lunchtime we observed that good support was given to those that needed it by attentive and patient staff.

Every person we spoke with said they felt very safe at the home. One person told us, “I don’t think any of the staff would ever abuse me or anyone else. The staff look after us very well”.

One person told us, “I’ve never noticed the home to be understaffed, if I want to go to the town there is always a member of staff to take me”.

We observed people involved in various activities throughout the day and the management and staff were involved in keeping people active and as independent as possible.