Magna Care Centre is a nursing care home for up to 63 older people. The home aims to meet the needs of older people including some people living with dementia and frailty of old age as well as providing end of life care. At the time of our inspection there were 43 people living at the home.

At the last inspection, the home was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the home remained Good.

There was a registered manager who had been working at the home since the end of August 2016. 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.

Why the home is rated Good.

Is the home safe?

People felt they were safe and there were systems in place to safeguard people. Risks to people and the service were well managed and planned for. People’s medicines were stored safely and administered as prescribed. There were enough staff who were recruited safely to meet people’s needs. The home and equipment was well maintained and clean.

Is the home effective?

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 supported this practice. People had good access to healthcare and staff referred people appropriately to health care professionals. People’s mealtimes were positive and sociable experiences. Staff were well trained and had they opportunity for development. Staff told us they were supported by managers at the home and felt invested in.

Is the home caring?

People and relatives told us staff were very caring and compassionate. Staff spoke to people in ways which showed they valued and cared about them. Staff supported people patiently and kindly and did not appear rushed. People were treated with dignity and respect. People were supported to make choices about their day to day lives and staff respected their wishes.

Is the home responsive?

People’s individual care needs were met by staff who knew them well and were familiar with the care they needed. People’s needs were reassessed when their circumstances changed and care plans were updated and included all the information staff needed to be able to care for people.

People and relatives spoke highly of the activities on offer at the home. People and relatives knew how to complain. No-one raised any concerns or complaints with us.

Is the home well-led?

There were significant improvements in how well-led the home was. People, relatives and staff told us the home was very well led by the registered manager who was committed to continually striving to make improvements to the service. The registered manager’s vision and values were imaginative and person-centred and made sure people are at the heart of the service. There was an open and inclusive culture where people, relatives and staff were actively consulted and involved in the decision making and development of the home. People, relatives, professionals and staff told us about the positive impact the registered manager and management team had on the quality of the service provided to people. They all told us how much the home had improved to the benefit of everyone involved.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

The Magna Care Centre is registered to accommodate and provide both personal and nursing care for up to 65 people. The home aims to meet the needs of people living with dementia and frailty of old age as well as providing end of life care. At the time of our inspection there were 58 people living at the home; 42 people were receiving nursing care, 11 of whom were placed in the home for end of life care.

There was a registered manager at the home at the time of the inspection. 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.

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection that was carried out over two days by two inspectors and a specialist advisor on 3 and 9 December 2015. The specialist advisor had a professional background in nursing.

Staff were caring and met people’s needs, respecting their privacy and dignity. Care planning was person centred and people were treated by staff as individuals.

People or their representatives had been included in planning how their care and treatment was provided through assessment of needs and development of care plans.

People’s nutritional needs were met and there were systems in place to make sure people had enough to drink. Where there were concerns about people’s nutritional of fluid intake, monitoring was put in place. If this monitoring identified concerns, action was taken such as referral to a dietician.

People’s legal rights were fully protected because legal requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) had been followed through. The provider was complying with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed by their doctor

People or their representatives felt that the home provided a safe service. People were kept free from harm as staff were aware of their responsibility to protect people from harm or abuse. They had been trained and were aware of the action they should take if they suspected abuse or ill treatment.

There were robust recruitment procedures in place which were followed, making sure all the required checks were carried out and records in place before a new member of staff started working at the home.

New staff completed induction training before working in the service to equip them with the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Staff knew the people they were supporting well and supported people to maintain their independence and control over their lives.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people’s needs and this view was shared by staff and relatives we spoke with. Some people had concerns that more staff should be provided

The home was well led with a good morale amongst the staff team. There was good record keeping with care records up to date and accurate. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided at The Magna Care Centre.