This inspection took place on 19 September 2017 and was unannounced. James Terry Court has previously been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). However the service was registered as new in April 2016 due to changes at provider level and this is the first inspection of the service since that date.

You can access previous inspection reports about the service by selecting the 'all reports' link for James Terry Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

James Terry Court is a large care home that provides accommodation, personal care and nursing care for up to 76 older people. People who use the service have a range of care and nursing needs associated with old age, which may include living with dementia.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People and staff had positive things to say about senior staff and said they were approachable, supportive and responsive to their needs. The provider was making positive changes to continuously improve the service. Improvements that had been made had made a difference to staff who now had access to better information about how to meet people’s needs. Future planned improvements would make the service a more stimulating and comfortable place for people to live.

However, people had few opportunities to share their views and have their say in how the service could continuously improve to meet their needs. The quality of information and communication provided to people and their representatives also needed to improve. People were not told how the provider planned to deal with any issues identified through internal quality reviews of the service. This lack of openness and transparency meant people had limited opportunities to hold the provider to account for making required improvements and changes at the service.

People were safe at James Terry Court. Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse and followed appropriate guidance to minimise identified risks to people's health, safety and welfare. Regular checks of the premises and equipment were carried out to ensure these were safe and posed no risks to people.

There were enough staff deployed to keep people safe. People told us there was a shortage of permanent staff at the service and the provider was using temporary agency staff to cover vacancies. However the provider had measures and checks in place to help them ensure there were enough staff to meet people’s needs.

The provider had robust arrangements in place to check the suitability and fitness of all permanent and temporary agency staff to support people. Staff were trained and supported by senior staff to meet people's needs. They knew people well and provided people with support that was dignified, respectful and which maintained their privacy.

Staff supported people to be as independent as they could and wanted to be. The environment was well designed and provided a comfortable and supportive environment for older people, particularly for those living with dementia.

People were involved in planning and making decisions about their care and support needs. People's support plans reflected their needs and their choices and preferences for how they received care. Staff were aware of their duties under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). They obtained people's consent before providing support and followed legal requirements where people did not have the capacity to consent. Senior staff reviewed people's care and support needs regularly.

People were supported to stay healthy and well and staff encouraged them to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. St