This inspection took place on the 26th April 2017 and was unannounced. We last inspected the service in July 2015 and rated it as ‘Good’.

Croftfield Residential Home (Croftfield) provides care to older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. The home is a converted Victorian building set in its own gardens and situated in a rural area in north Cumbria. There are 22 bedrooms in the home and there are three separate lounge areas and a conservatory. the service is registered to support 21 people, at the time of our inspection there were 21 people living in the home.

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 service managed medicines appropriately. They were correctly stored, monitored and administered in accordance with the prescription. People were supported to maintain their health and to access health services if needed. People who required support with eating and drinking received it and had their nutrition and hydration support needs regularly assessed.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. They were trained to an appropriate standard and received regular supervision and appraisal. As part of their recruitment process the service carried out background checks on new staff including those with the disclosure and barring service (DBS).

Where people were not able to make important decisions about their lives the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed to protect their rights. Staff were aware of how to identify and report abuse. There were also policies in place that outlined what to do if staff had concerns about the practice of a colleague.

Care plans were subject to regular reviews to ensure they met people’s changing needs. They were easy to read and based on assessment and reflected the needs of people. Risk assessments were carried out and plans were put in place to reduce risks to people’s safety and welfare.

Staff had developed good relationships with people and communicated in a kind and friendly manner. They were aware of how to treat people with dignity and respect.

The service had a complaints procedure that showed people how to make a complaint and how long it would take to deal with. People were aware of how to raise a complaint and who to speak to about any concerns they had. There were no outstanding complaints in the service.

The home was well led by a registered manager who had a vision for the future of Croftfield. A quality assurance system was in place that was utilised to improve the service.