Lavender House Care Home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 36 people. People living at the home have physical needs and some of the people live with dementia. The home is situated close to the city of Peterborough. Short and long stays are offered. At the time of our inspection there were 33 people living at the home.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 30 November 2016 and was unannounced.

The provider is required to have a registered manager as one of their conditions of registration.

A registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 service is run.

People were kept safe and staff were knowledgeable about reporting any incident of harm. People were looked after by enough staff to support them with their individual needs. Pre-employment checks were completed on staff before they were assessed to be suitable to look after people who used the service. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed.

People were helped to eat and drink sufficient amounts of food and drink. They were provided also with choices of food and drink to meet their individual dietary preferences and requirements. People were supported to access health care services. This was to ensure that their individual health needs were met.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the Mental Capacity Act 2005 [MCA 2005] and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS] and to report on what we find. The provider was aware of what they were required to do should any person lack mental capacity. DoLS applications had been made and conditions of those authorised were being met. People were able to make decisions about their day-to-day care. Staff were trained and had knowledge about the application of the MCA.

People were looked after by staff who were trained and supported to do their job.

People were looked after by kind staff who treated them with respect and dignity. They and their relatives were given opportunities to be involved in the review of people’s individual care plans.

Care was provided based on people’s individual needs. Staff had access to up-to-date care plan guidance to ensure that people’s needs were met in accordance to their assessed needs. There was a process in place so that people’s concerns and complaints were listened to and action was taken to address them.

The registered manager was supported by representatives of the provider, ancillary staff and a team of care staff. Staff were supported and managed to look after people in a safe way. Staff, people and their relatives were able to make suggestions and actions were taken as a result. Quality monitoring procedures were in place and action was taken where improvements were identified.

Lavender House Care Home is registered to provide accommodation support and non-nursing care for up to 33 people, some of who live with dementia. The home is a domestic-style dwelling and is located in a residential suburb of the city of Peterborough. At the time of our inspection there were 26 people living in the home.

A registered manager was in post but was not at the home when we visited. 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.

The inspection was unannounced and was carried out on 08 December 2014 by one inspector. The previous inspection was carried out on 22 October 2013 when we found the provider was meeting the requirements of the regulations.

People were protected from the risk of harm and were looked after by enough staff. People were supported to take their medication as prescribed and also their individual health and safety risks were assessed and these were well-managed. Most of the checks were completed during the recruitment of new staff so that suitable staff looked after people who lived at Lavender Care Home.

People received the care that met their individual health needs and they were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts of their choice of food and drink.

People’s rights in making decisions and suggestions in relation to their support and care were valued and acted on. Individual recreational and social hobbies and interests were provided to maintain and promote people’s wellbeing. Staff were trained and supported to provide people with safe and appropriate support and care.

The CQC monitors the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care services. We found that people’s rights may not have been fully protected as we found some of the people only went out with the support from staff or their visitors. DoLS applications had not been made and submitted to the authorising agencies in respect of these people.

People were treated with respect by patient and attentive staff and they were involved in the development and review of their own care plans. However, improvements were needed as people were not consistently treated with respect and dignity.

People received care that was responsive to their individual needs and were supported to maintain contact with their relatives and with the community. People knew who to speak with if they were unhappy and wanted to make their concerns known.

The care home was well-led and staff enjoyed their work and were supported and managed to look after people in a caring and safe way. People were supported to have links with the local community. They and staff made suggestions at meetings and actions were taken as a result. Quality monitoring procedures were in place and action had been taken where improvements were identified.

People said that they were treated with respect and dignity. They also said that they were satisfied with the standard and quality of their care and support. They told us that they were well looked after and had no cause to make a complaint.

Improvements had been made to ensure that people who used the service were treated with respect and dignity at all times. This included when they were in their rooms; the way in which they were now dressed and how they were supported to maintain their dignity when they were eating and drinking.

Improvements had been made to ensure that people’s sense of wellbeing and their health and safety were maintained and promoted at all times. This included improvements in how members of staff provided people with support and care, especially during mealtimes.

People said that they had information about the home and how to make a complaint. They also said that they were treated well and with respect, most of the time. However, improvements are needed to ensure that people’s dignity and privacy are respected all of the time.

All of the people said that they were very satisfied with the standard and quality of their support and care and this was described as being, “Absolutely wonderful”. However, improvements are needed to ensure that people receive safe and good quality support and care at all times.

Effective systems were in place to ensure that people were protected from the risk of harm. People said that they felt reassured and safe.

People said that they liked the staff and had confidence in their capabilities to provide them with safe and appropriate support and care. Systems were in place to ensure that people received support and care from a supervised and trained team of staff. Measures were in place to improve the numbers of staff attendending and completing training, including caring for people who are living with dementia.

Records were held and kept up-to-date to demonstrate that people visiting, living, and working at Lavender House Care Home were safe from inappropriate support and care and from unsafe premises.