About the service: Groveland Park Care Home is a residential care home registered to provide personal care and accommodation for to up to 55 older adults. At the time of the inspection there were 55 people living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service met the characteristics of outstanding in Caring and Well Led and is rated outstanding overall.

The staff team demonstrated outstanding care and compassion towards the people they supported. People and their relatives were highly complimentary about the care provided. They told us they were treated with complete dignity and respect and the care they received made a difference to the quality of their lives.

People were encouraged to be independent, to make choices about all aspects of their lives and were supported to maintain links they had with the community. Staff knew people very well and told us they enjoyed their roles and were proud to work at the home. They were motivated to support family events, provide the best care they could and spoke about people positively and sensitively.

The home had won a 'Caring at its Best' award from the local authority. Some health professionals remarked on the caring response of the staff team.

The provider’s values of high-quality care, and an emphasis on choice and personalised care were understood and demonstrated by staff. The management team led by example and were focused on learning and making improvements to the service. People’s views about the service were listened to and acted on. The registered manager was involved in all aspects of the running of the home. They demonstrated clear leadership and strong advocacy skills for people living at the home.

There was an open and positive organisational culture with highly effective quality assurance processes at the home. This helped maintain the standards of care. Staff told us they felt valued, their views respected and they were well supported. The whole staff team worked closely together, to provide people with highly personalised care and support. The home had built distinctive community links and people felt involved and a part of the local community. There was a culture of continual improvement and learning, and improvements had been made since the last inspection.

People were stimulated and enjoyed a wide range of social opportunities through an extensive programme of activities both within and outside the home. Family links were encouraged and supported through a bar bistro, fine dining opportunities and invitations to regular events.

A health professional commented on the exceptional care provided to people and their families when they were coming to the end of their life.

People told us they felt safe and staff understood how to keep people safe. Risks to people were identified, assessed and managed. Medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Complaints were managed effectively.

Staff received enough training and support for their roles and were encouraged to develop their skills further. Staff asked people for consent before delivering care. People were supported to 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.

Care records were detailed and personalised. The staff team worked effectively with health professionals to ensure people’s health needs were addressed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good (Published August 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on our previous rating of the service.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

This unannounced inspection took place on 05, 06 and 07 July 2016.

Groveland Park Care Home is a care home service for up to 53 older people living with dementia, sensory impairment or a physical disability. There were 52 people using the service at the time of our inspection.

We previously carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 13 August 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the regulations that we assessed.

The service had 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 this inspection we found that staff knew how to keep people safe. People who used the service and their relatives told us they felt safe and that staff and the registered manager treated them well. The service had clear procedures to support staff to recognise and respond to abuse. The registered manager and staff completed safeguarding training. Staff completed risk assessments for every person who used the service which were up to date and included detailed guidance for staff to reduce risks. There was an effective system to manage accidents and incidents, and to prevent them happening again. The service had arrangements in place to deal with emergencies. The service carried out comprehensive background checks of staff before they started working and there were enough staff on duty to support to people when required. Staff supported people so that they took their medicines safely.

The provider had taken action to ensure the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were followed. However, we saw the provider had not completed the monitoring forms for the supervisory body as required. As a result of the inspection feedback, the provider immediately reviewed systems and procedures to ensure any conditions placed on people’s DoLS authorisations were complied with. We saw there was no negative impact on people who used the service.

Staff assessed people’s nutritional needs and supported them to have a balanced diet. Staff supported people to access the healthcare services they required and monitored their healthcare appointments.

People or their relatives where appropriate, were involved in the assessment, planning and review of their care. Staff considered people’s choices, health and social care needs, and their general wellbeing. Staff prepared, reviewed, and updated care plans for every person. The care plans were person centred and reflected people’s current needs.

Staff supported people in a way which was kind, caring, and respectful. Staff also protected people’s privacy, dignity, and human rights.

The service supported people to take part in a range of activities in support of their need for social interaction and stimulation. The service had a clear policy and procedure about managing complaints. People knew how to complain and told us they would do so if necessary.

There was a positive culture at the home where people felt included and consulted. People and their relatives commented positively about staff and the registered manager. Staff felt supported by the registered manager.

The service sought the views of people who used the services, their relatives, and staff to help drive improvements. The provider had effective systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of services people received, and to make improvements where required. Staff used the results of audits to identify how improvements could be made to the service. However, we found that the provider had not notified the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of the authorisations of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) as required. As a result of the inspection feed

People who used the service told us they were happy with the service they received. People told us that the staff were excellent, and information was provided to help them to make an informed decision about their treatment. One person said: “nothing is too much trouble for the staff”, and another said: “the staff are marvellous and the home is lovely”.

People told us they were always treated in a respectful manner, and the staff knew them well and understood how to attend to their needs. Everyone we spoke with said that the staff explained what they were doing and involved them in decisions about their care. People said they were given choices about meals and activities and they felt safe and well cared for.

The staff understood how to keep people safe and understood their responsibilities for reporting concerns if necessary. The home was clean and well maintained. The provider ensured that safe recruitment practices were adhered to in order to keep people safe. Staff were supported to provide care safely through training and supervision, and said they felt supported by the management. There were quality assurance processes in place to ensure that care was provided in a consistent and safe manner.