This inspection took place on 21 February 2017. Forest Lodge Rest Home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 28 people with physical and mental health needs. On the day of our inspection 27 people were using the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to feel safe and staff ensured that risks to their health and safety were reduced. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs in a timely manner and systems were in place to support people to take their medicines.

Staff received relevant training and felt well supported. People were asked for their consent and appropriate steps were taken to support people who lacked capacity to make particular decisions. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain good health.

There were positive and caring relationships between people and the staff who cared for them. Staff promoted people’s right to make their own decisions and respected the choices they made. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood the importance of this.

People received person-centred and responsive care from staff who had a clear understanding of their current support needs. Care plans were in place which provided clear information about the care people required. People knew how to make a complaint and there was a clear complaints procedure in place.

There was an open and transparent culture which enabled people and staff to speak up if they wished to. The management team provided strong leadership and a clear direction to staff. There were robust quality monitoring procedures in place.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We spoke with a relative of a person who used the service. They said, “I’m happy with the majority of care for my relative. I’d give the home about 8 out of 10.”

During our inspection we observed that staff members spoke in a supportive and respectful manner with people who used the service. We saw that people’s care plans contained information to support their care needs.

A member of staff told us, “I’d report any concerns to the manager or the council.”

We saw the safeguarding and whistle blowing policies which contained clear and appropriate information about the different forms of abuse and what action should be taken if abuse was suspected.

We noted that issues found on our previous inspection in relation to the smoking room had not been fully resolved. A relative of a person who used the service told us, “People smoke in the smoking room but the door is often left open. You can smell smoke in the home.”

A person who used the service told us, “There’s generally enough staff around.”

We looked at three staff files and saw that regular supervision meetings were held between the staff and the manager.

We saw the provider had documented actions taken in relation to individual incidents and staff members. The provider had monitored staff practices to identify any areas which required improvement.

Since our previous inspection, the provider has made notifications to the Commission appropriately.

We spoke with seven people who were using the service. One person said, “I love it here, the staff are all lovely and polite. I like my privacy and they respect that.” Another person said, “Most of the staff are great, they are respectful and they know me and what I like.”

On the day of our visit we observed staff responding when people had pressed the call button in their bedroom. Support was provided to people in a timely manner. People who required support to eat their lunch received this support.

We spoke with seven people who were using the service. One person said, “The cleaner cleans my room everyday, the home is kept clean.” Another person said, “They do my laundry for me, they vacuum my room and clean my bathroom. I’m happy with that.”

The records we saw relating to staff training and supervision showed that staff had not received all of the training and supervision required to carry out their role safely and to an appropriate standard.

We spoke with seven people who were using the service. One person said, “There are meetings for the residents. I’m not bothered about going to those however I know I can have my say. They do listen here and try to make changes.” Another person said, “I go to the resident’s meetings, I speak up and I know they listen to us. My relative also has a chat with the manager when they come to visit me.”

The people we spoke with told us their choices were respected and they felt they were listened to. People told us they had choices over when to wake up and go to bed, what clothes to wear and what they wanted to eat amongst other things.

We spoke to five people who were living at Forest Lodge to ask if they were happy with the care and support they received. We were told “It’s ok, they look after me well but I am a bit bored, there’s not much to do.” , “I am happy here, they look after me well.” and “Yes they look after me well and call the doctor when needed. There’s not much to do and I would like to go out more.”

We spoke to some people who were living at Forest Lodge about how they could be involved in the running of the service. We were told “There are resident meetings but I’m not bothered about those. I haven’t received a survey either but I feel I can have my say if I want to.”

This inspection took place on 18 and 19 November 2014 and was unannounced. Forest Lodge Rest Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 28 people with dementia, mental health needs and physical disabilities. On the day of our inspection 28 people were using the service.

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.

At the last inspection in August 2013 we asked the provider to make improvements in the safety and suitability of the premises, and this action has been taken.

People told us they felt safe living at the care home. Staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse. People received their medicines as prescribed and they were safely stored.

People were supported by a sufficient number of staff and effective recruitment and selection procedures were operated to ensure staff were safe to work with vulnerable adults.

Staff had the knowledge and skills to care for people effectively. People received support from health care professionals when needed.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the use of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). We found this legislation was being used correctly to protect people who were not able to make their own decisions about the care they received. We also found staff were aware of the principles within the MCA and how this might affect the care they provided to people.

People had access to sufficient quantities of food and drink. People told us they enjoyed the food and there were different choices available.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff and caring relationships had been developed. People were able to be involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and told us they were able to make day to day decisions. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff.

People were provided with care that was responsive to their changing needs and personal preferences. The manager had made links with the local community to help people avoid social isolation. People felt able to make a complaint and told us they knew how to do so.

People gave their opinions on how the service was run and suggestions were implemented where possible. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. These resulted in improvements to the service where required.