The inspection took place on 8 August 2017 and was unannounced. The last comprehensive inspection took place in January 2015, when the provider was meeting the regulations and was rated good.

Eastwood House Care Home is a large converted house located close to the centre of Rotherham. The home provides accommodation for up to 37 people on two floors. The care provided is for people who have needs associated with those of older people and people living with dementia.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. 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.

At our last inspection the safe domain was rated as requires improvement. At this inspection we found the service to be good. The provider had improved systems for managing medicines. Therefore people who were prescribed medicines on an ‘as and when’ required basis, had a protocol in place to guide staff.

The service had risk assessments which were reflective of people’s current needs. People we spoke with told us they felt safe living at the service. People’s relatives felt confident their relative was safe and well supported.

The provider had a safe recruitment system in place which ensured pre-employment checks were carried out prior to new starters commencing employment.

Staff received an induction to their role which included training and shadowing experienced staff. Staff received training and support on a regular basis and felt the registered manager was approachable.

The provider was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager had a good understanding about this legislation and took appropriate steps to ensure they were working within the guidelines.

People had access to health care professionals as required and any advice given was incorporated within people’s care plans.

People were complimentary about the meals and snacks they received. We saw drinks and snacks were available throughout the day and people were offered a choice of meal.

Through our observations and by talking with people and their relatives we found staff were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff involved people in their care and ensured their privacy and dignity was maintained.

We looked at care records and found that they reflected the support people received. People’s needs were met in an effective way.

People were given plenty of opportunities to engage in social activities and commented that their was always something to do.

The provider had a complaints procedure which was displayed in the main entrance of the home. People we spoke with felt able to raise concerns and felt they would be listened to if they needed to complain.

The management team consisted of a registered manager, deputy manager and a team of senior care workers. We saw audits were completed to ensure service quality. People we spoke with told us they were involved in meetings and completed surveys. This showed that people were involved in the service and any ideas and suggestions were taken in to consideration.

The inspection took place on 26 and 27 January 2015 and was unannounced on the first day. The care home was registered with the CQC in August 2014 so this was the first inspection of the service under the new registration.

Eastwood House Care Home is a large converted house located close to the centre of Rotherham. The home provides accommodation for up to 37 people on two floors. The care provided is for people who have needs associated with those of older people, including dementia. The home does not provide nursing care.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

Throughout our inspection we saw staff supporting people in a caring, responsive and patient manner. They encouraged people to be as independent as possible while taking into consideration any risks associated with their care. People who used the service and the visitors we spoke with were complimentary about the care and support provided.

People received their medications in a timely way from senior staff who had been trained to carry out this role.

We saw there was enough skilled and experienced staff on duty to meet people’s needs. There was a recruitment system in place that helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. Staff had received a structured induction into how the home operated and their role at the beginning of their employment. They had access to a varied training programme that met the needs of the people using the service. However, not all staff had received the essential training required, or refresher training, to update their knowledge and skills. We saw the registered manager was however, addressing these shortfalls.

People received a well-balanced diet and were involved in choosing what they ate. The majority of people we spoke with said they were happy with the meals provided. We saw specialist dietary needs had been assessed and catered for.

People told us their needs had been assessed before they moved into the home and the majority had been involved in formulating and reviewing their planned care. The four care files we checked reflected people’s needs and preferences. They had been reviewed regularly, but changes recorded in the monthly evaluations had not always been fully incorporated into the care plans and risk assessments. We found the registered manager was arranging further care planning training and told us care plans were to be rewritten.

People had access to a varied activities programme which provided regular in-house activities and stimulation, as well as in the community. People told us they enjoyed the activities they took part in, but could choose not to participate.

People told us they had no complaints, but would feel comfortable speaking to staff if they had any concerns. We saw the complaints policy was easily available to people using or visiting the service. When concerns had been raised these had been investigated and resolved appropriately.

The provider had a system in place to enable people to share their opinion of the service provided and the general facilities at the home. We also saw a system to check if company policies had been followed and the premise was safe and well maintained. Where improvements were needed we saw the provider had put action plans in place to address these.