Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home offers accommodation with nursing care for up to 40 people, including those who are living with dementia.

The inspection was unannounced and was carried out on 7 and 9 September 2016.

There was a registered manager in place at the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the home. 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 home is run.

People told us they felt the home was safe. Staff had received safeguarding training and were able to demonstrate an understanding of the provider’s safeguarding policy and explain the action they would take if they identified any concerns.

The risks relating to people’s health and welfare were assessed and these were recorded along with actions identified to reduce those risks in the least restrictive way. They were personalised and provided sufficient information to allow staff to protect people whilst promoting their independence.

People were supported by staff who had received an induction into the home and appropriate training, professional development and supervision to enable them to meet people’s individual needs. There were enough staff to respond to and meet people’s needs.

There were suitable systems in place to ensure the safe storage and administration of medicines. Medicines were administered by staff who had received appropriate training and assessments. People were supported to access healthcare services when they needed them.

Staff followed legislation designed to protect people’s rights and ensure decisions were the least restrictive and made in their best interests.

Staff developed caring and positive relationships with people, were sensitive to their individual choices and treated them with dignity and respect.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. Mealtimes were a social event and staff supported people in a patient and friendly manner.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and staff listened to what people said. Staff were prompt to raise issues about people’s health and people were referred to health professionals when needed. People were confident they could raise concerns or complaints and that these would be dealt with.

People and, when appropriate, their families or other representatives were involved in discussions about their care planning. People were encouraged to provide feedback on the service provided both informally and through an annual questionnaire.

Staff felt supported by the management team to raise any issues or concerns. The quality of the care and treatment people experienced was monitored and action taken to promote people's safety and welfare. Accidents and incidents were monitored, analysed and remedial actions identified to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

People we spoke to told us that the staff were friendly and helpful. They said that their privacy was respected whilst being supported with personal care. We saw that people were supported to maintain their independence.

We found that care plans had detailed pre admission assessments, and information about individuals’ communication needs, personal hygiene, continence, nutrition, medication and mobility needs. Care plans included details of people's life histories, family details, and likes and dislikes.

We spoke to the General Practitioner during their visit who told us that the home was "brilliant" and that they "I would be quite happy to have one of my relatives to stay here".

People using the service were protected from abuse as they were supported by a staff team who had appropriate knowledge and training on safeguarding adults. Staff told us if they had any concerns they would report them to the manager.

Staff we spoke to and records we reviewed, demonstrated that staff were suitably experienced and skilled to support people living in the home, although on the day of our visit there was insufficient staff on duty to fully meet the needs of the people in a timely manner.

The provider had an effective system for monitoring and assessing the quality of the service which regularly took into account the view of people that live in the home and their relatives.

People told us they were happy in the home and felt well looked after.

They said that staff were kind and friendly and they had enough to do. People said they felt safe and could talk to the staff and managers if they had any worries or concerns.

We visited the service on 18 and 26 July 2013 as part of our scheduled inspection programme and also to check that improvements had been made regarding staffing.

We also spoke with three relatives of people who used the service. The relatives told us they were very happy with the care provided. They said they were kept informed about any changes to their relatives care and treatment. Relatives knew how to raise concerns and felt their concerns were acted on swiftly. They also told us there was plenty of staff on duty when they visited and the home was very clean and well maintained.

We found medication was administered safely to people. People were given appropriate support where required, to ensure they had taken their medication. Staff received appropriate support and training to ensure they were able to meet the needs of people living at the home.