We carried out this inspection on 17 and 18 October 2016. The inspection was unannounced. We last inspected this service in February 2014. At that inspection we found that the provider was meeting all of the regulations that we assessed.

Jah-Jireh Charity Homes Leyland provides accommodation for up to 36 people who require personal care. There were 33 people living in the home at the time of our inspection. The home is in a residential area of Leyland, close to local shops and facilities.

The home is provided by and for people who are baptised Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is one of four homes provided by Jah-Jireh Charity Homes. The provider describes their objective as, ‘Our sole purpose is to provide loving, spiritual and physical care for those in the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses who find themselves needing to be cared for by others, due to old age or infirmity.’

At the time of our inspection the home provided permanent accommodation and planned short-term care for people who required it.

There was a registered manager employed at the home. 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.

Everyone we spoke with told us that this was a good home and said they would recommend it to other people. People told us the home was a “lovely” place to live and said living at the home was “like being cared for by family”. People received safe, compassionate care that met their physical and emotional needs and they had a choice of activities to support their spiritual needs. People were cared for in a manner that met the registered provider’s stated purpose for the service.

People made choices about their care and maintained their independence and control over their lives. They agreed to the care they received and their rights were protected. Where people had made advance decisions about their care, these were clearly recorded and known to the staff in the home.

The registered manager was knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to protect people’s rights.

There were enough staff to provide the support people needed. The staff had the skills and knowledge to provide a high quality of care. The staff took time to spend with people and understood this was an important part of their role.

Visitors were made welcome in the home and people could see their friends and relatives as they wanted. The home had a guest room and visitors could stay in the home to be close to their relative or friend if they needed.

People were supported to maintain good health. They received their medicines as their doctor had prescribed and received support from appropriate health care services.

People received a choice of meals, snacks and drinks that they enjoyed. Mealtimes were pleasant and sociable occasions. Visitors could enjoy a meal with their relatives if they wished.

The home was well managed to ensure people were safe and received a high quality of care. The atmosphere in the home was friendly and inclusive. The registered manager set high standards and assessed the quality of the service to ensure these were met. People were asked for their views about the service and actions were taken in response to their comments.

The registered provider had a procedure for receiving and responding to concerns or complaints. People knew the registered manager and could speak to her if they had any concerns about their care. People could be confident any concerns or complaints would be investigated and action taken to resolve them.

We carried out an unannounced visit to the home and were able to meet a number of people who lived there. There were a variety of activities going on when we arrived and residents appeared to be enjoying taking part in them.

A number of residents were taking part in a spiritual coffee morning. We were told that these were held on a daily basis and designed to facilitate spiritual discussion and reflection. Daily worship was also conducted at the home.

Some residents were enjoying board games and jigsaws in the games room and others were having their hair done in the home’s hair salon.

There were a number of visitors to the home, throughout the day, who clearly knew staff well and were made to feel welcome.

We observed staff interacting with residents in a kind, respectful and cheerful manner. It was apparent that they got along well and that residents felt comfortable in the company of carers. We spoke to five residents who all made very positive comments about life at the home. These comments included:

“We are so very lucky. We are loved and cared for in such a wonderful way.’’

“I could not be in a better place!’’

“Everything I need is here. We are all one family who love and care for each other.’’

During this inspection we assessed standards relating to the care and welfare of people who used the service and procedures for protecting people from cross infection. We looked at how the service selected and recruited staff. The areas of quality assurance and complaints management were also inspected. We did not identify any concerns in the areas we assessed.

During this inspection we spoke with a number of people who lived at the home as well as some visiting relatives. Everyone we spoke with expressed much satisfaction with the standard of care provided and spoke very highly of staff and managers.

Comments we received included;

‘’What makes this place special is the love, the care and the comfort. There is more than enough of those things.’’

‘’We are well loved and well looked after!’’

‘’This is more than just a care home. It is like a family and everyone takes care of each other.’’

We observed staff going about their duties and saw that their approach was very kind and respectful. Staff appeared to have plenty of time to respond to people’s needs and spend time with them.

We looked at a number of areas during the inspection, which included how the home promoted the care and welfare of people using the service and how they safeguarded people from abuse. We found that the service was compliant in all the areas we assessed.

People told us they were happy living in the home and they were involved in planning and reviewing their care. They said they were able to express their views and their opinions were taken seriously and acted upon. One person said, “I feel very well looked after.”

People confirmed they were involved in the care planning process, which enabled them to express their views and opinions about the level and type of care, they were provided. People spoken with felt they were well cared for and the staff respected their rights to privacy and dignity.

Visitors were welcome in the home at any time and people said they were supported to maintain good contact with their family and friends. Relatives spoken with were satisfied with the quality of care provided and felt that their family members were looked after in a caring and sensitive manner.

People made complimentary comments about the food and said that staff made a record of their likes and dislikes, so they were aware of their preferences.

People liked their bedrooms and were able to furnish them with them with their own belongings and possessions.

People made positive comments about the staff team and felt they could talk to the any of the staff or the manager if they had a problem or query.