Dovecote Manor Healthcare Limited is a care home providing care and support for up to 41 older people, the service also provides care for people living with dementia. On the day of our visit, there were 37 people using the service.

The inspection was unannounced and took place on 4 May 2017. At the last inspection on 12 May 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People using the service continued to receive safe care. Staff were knowledgeable of the safeguarding procedures. Robust staff recruitment procedures were followed. The staffing levels met people’s needs. People received their prescribed medicines safely.

People using the service continued to receive effective care and have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Staff had the appropriate knowledge and skills to meet their needs, and they were supported to maintain good health and nutrition. Staff were provided with comprehensive induction training and on-going refresher training. They had attended a variety of training to ensure they were able to provide care that was based on current practice. Staff received regular supervision and appraisal from their allocated supervisors.

Staff took an interest in people and delivered care that respected their individuality and diversity. People were treated with kindness, dignity and compassion and people were encouraged to be involved in planning their care and support. The care plans were personalised giving details on people’s needs and preferences. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and effective systems were in place to respond to complaints.

People benefitted from using a service that had a positive, person centred ethos and an open culture. People, their relatives and staff had confidence in the registered manager’s ability to provide high quality managerial oversight and leadership. Established quality monitoring systems were used to drive continuous improvement.

This inspection took place on 12 May 2015 and was unannounced.

Dovecote Manor provides care and support for up to 41 older people with a wide range of needs. This includes people who are living with dementia.

There were 41 people using the service when we visited.

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.

People were protected from abuse and felt safe. Staff were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and reporting procedures.

Action was taken to keep people safe, minimising any risks to health and safety. Staff knew how to manage risks to promote people’s safety.

There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and safe and effective recruitment practices were followed.

There were suitable arrangements in place for the safe management of medicines.

Staff received appropriate support and training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They were provided with on-going training to update their skills and knowledge to support people with their care and support needs.

People’s consent to care and treatment was sought in line with current legislation. Where people’s liberty was deprived, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS] applications had been approved by the statutory body.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to ensure their dietary needs were met.

Staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals as required.

People were looked after by staff that were caring, compassionate and promoted their privacy and dignity.

People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed.

People were supported to take part in meaningful activities and pursue hobbies and interests.

The home had an effective complaints procedure in place. Staff were responsive to concerns and when issues were raised these were acted upon promptly.

The service was well-led and staff were well supported and motivated to do a good job.

We saw that people were encouraged to have their say about how the quality of services could be improved and were positive about the leadership provided by the registered manager.

Effective quality assurance systems were in place to obtain feedback, monitor performance and manage risks.

We spoke with visiting friends and family members. One person told us that they were really pleased with the care that their relative was receiving. Another person said “it’s brilliant, they are well cared for, it’s clean I have no complaints at all”. We were told that staff made visitors feel welcome.

We found that Dovecote Manor was well led and that staff were well supported as training, supervision and appraisals were in place for all staff.

We saw that staff were caring and responsive to people’s needs and treated them with dignity and kindness.

We saw that there were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and that feedback from relatives and people had been acted upon.

We spoke with six people that used the service. They were all happy with the service. One person told us "There is always a member of staff around if I need help with anything". Another person told us "I can’t complain, I have everything I need".

We spoke with two staff members. They both told us that they felt well supported in their roles. One of the staff members told us "I'd be happy to live here".

We saw that people's preferences and likes and dislikes were recorded and that they were taken into consideration in the delivery of their care. We saw that people's needs were assessed and that there was a care and support plan in place to ensure that their needs were met.

We found that people's medication was kept securely. We saw that appropriate checks were carried out staff before they started work. We saw that information relating to complaints was on display. People that used the service told us that they would be able to tell a member of staff if they were not happy about something and feel confident that it would be addressed.

We spoke to seven people during the course of the visit. People said they had no concerns and felt safe at the home. One person said she ‘loves the staff!’ Other people said the carers were very good. People said the home was comfortable and the food provided was good. People said they had received sufficient food and drinks.

People said care provided at the home was good. They had been involved and given choices when planning and making changes to the care and support they had received. People said they had been given enough information about the home and their care. Other people said that their ongoing healthcare needs had continued to be met. When necessary care staff would accompany them on visits to healthcare professionals such as the dentist or optician.

People said they had been encouraged to give their views at monthly residents’ committee meetings.

People said the activities coordinator at the home was very good and that they had been able to access a variety of activities. People spoke about having gone out on day trips, going on family holidays and of outside entertainers coming into the home.