Mayfield Care Home provides personal care and accommodation for up to 24 older people. It is a large detached, extended property standing in its own grounds near to the area of Sale, Greater Manchester. There is a passenger lift in the home. There is one double room in the home however we were told that this would not be utilised unless explicitly requested, for example by a married couple.

The inspection took place on 18 January 2017 and was unannounced which meant we did not notify anyone at the service that we would be attending. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people living in the home.

Our last inspection at Mayfield Care Home was in October 2014. The home was judged to be meeting all the standards we looked at during the inspection. The home was sold to a new provider in November 2015 and was reregistered accordingly. The registered manager and the staff team at the home remained the same following the change in registered provider.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with CQC. 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.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe living at Mayfield care home and spoke very positively about the staff. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs safely and effectively.

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely. When we did raise an issue with medicines this was explored and resolved straight away.

Staff underwent a thorough induction and shadowed other colleagues prior to commencing work. Regular updates to their training were completed to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles. Staff were receiving supervision and felt well supported by the registered manager.

The registered manager acknowledged that more could be done to make the home a more dementia-friendly environment. The registered manager intended to explore good practice in modern dementia care more fully in order to improve the quality of life of those people living with dementia.

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 access to a range of health care professionals to help maintain their health.

People told us the meals provided were good in quality, presentation and quantity. Alternatives were always available if people did not like the meals that were on offer. Diets provided to people took into account dietary needs and preferences so their health was promoted and choices could be respected. People’s fluid and diet intake was monitored by staff where a risk of dehydration or malnutrition had been identified.

Activities were provided both in and outside of the home which people said they enjoyed. There was no bespoke activities co ordinator employed by the service however there was provision of exercise and activities by external organisations. Staff also organised activities and one to one sessions with individuals. We saw that people who were able to enjoyed accessing the community on a regular basis.

People living at the home, and their relatives said they could speak with staff if they had any worries or concerns. They were confident that their concerns would be listened to and any necessary action would be taken.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to. People using the service, their relatives and professionals had been asked their opinion of the service via questionnaires. The results