This was an unannounced inspection, which meant the staff and the provider did not know we would be visiting. One inspector carried out the inspection on the 24 and 29 August 2017. This was the first inspection since the provider changed to a limited company.

Gordena Care Home provides accommodation, personal care and support for up to 9 people. There were nine people living in Gordena Care Home at the time of the inspection. People who live at the home have a learning disability. There were seven single bedrooms and one shared bedroom. The kitchen and dining room was situated on the second floor, which was accessed by stairs. A stair lift could be used by people if required to reach the first floor where the lounge was situated but not to the second floor. The registered manager assessed people in respect of their mobility prior to moving to the home and kept this under review due to the lay out of the building.

There was a registered manager in post. The registered manager was also one of the owners of the business. 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.

There were no breaches found during this inspection. However, improvements were needed to ensure people were safe. This included implementing the provider’s own action plan to ensure all staff completed a fire drill at frequent intervals and to ensure the recommendations made by a pharmacist had been fully actioned. This included checking staff competency in respect of the administration of medication and to ensure body maps in respect of where to apply topical creams were kept with the medicine administration record. This would ensure staff knew exactly where to apply the creams.

People were protected from the risk of abuse because there were clear procedures in place to recognise and respond to abuse and staff had been trained in how to follow the procedures. Systems were in place to ensure people were safe including risk management, checks on the environment and safe recruitment processes. People received their medicines safely.

People’s views were sought through care reviews, resident meetings and surveys. People’s views were acted upon. Systems were in place to ensure that complaints were responded to with action taken to improve the service provided.

People were involved in making decisions on how they wanted to be supported on a daily basis. Where decisions were more complex such as that relating to medical health then best interest meetings were held with the staff and other health professionals.

People had a care plan that clearly described how they wanted to be supported. People had opportunities to take part in activities both in the home and the local community. People were encouraged to be independent. Some people could access the community on their own whilst others required staff support. Some people managed their own finances. Other health and social care professionals were involved in the care of the people living at Gordena Care Home.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they were supporting and spoke about them in a caring way. Staff had received suitable training for them to deliver safe and effective care. Staff told us they were supported in their role and met with the registered manager regularly to discuss their performance and any training needs.

The service was well led. The registered manager and the staff completed regular checks on the systems that were in operation in the home to ensure they were effective. The organisation’s values and philosophy were clearly explained to staff and there was a positive culture where people felt included, and their views were sought. There was an emphasis on Gordena Care Home being people’s own ho