This inspection took place on 12 September 2016 and it was an unannounced.

Stirlings residential home is registered to provide accommodation for up to 40 older people some of whom were living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 38 people living at the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 registered manager worked closely with the area manager.

People who were supported by the service felt safe. The staff had a clear understanding on how to safeguard people and protect their health and well-being. People received their medicine as prescribed. There were systems in place to manage safe administration and storage of medicines.

The service had enough suitably qualified and experienced staff to meet people's needs. People told us they were attended to without unnecessary delay. The service had robust recruitment procedures and conducted background checks to ensure staff were suitable for their role. People were actively involved in the running of the service, including the recruitment of staff. They felt like part of the service.

People had a range of individualised risk assessments in place to keep them safe and to help them maintain their independence. Where risks to people had been identified risk assessments were in place and action had been taken to reduce the risks. Staff were aware of people’s needs and followed guidance to keep them safe.

Staff received adequate training and support to carry out their roles effectively. People felt supported by competent staff that benefitted from regular supervision (one to one meetings with their line manager) and team meetings to help them meet the needs of the people they cared for.

The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and applied its principles in their work. Where people were thought to lack capacity to make certain decisions, assessments had been completed in line with the principles of MCA. The registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS); these provide legal safeguards for people who may be deprived of their liberty for their own safety.

People’s nutritional needs were met and people benefited from a good dining experience. People were given choices and received their meals in a timely manner. Staff treated people with kindness, compassion and respect and promoted people’s independence and right to privacy. People received high quality care that was personalised to meet their needs.

People were supported to maintain their health and were referred for specialist advice as required. Where people had received end of life care, staff had taken actions to ensure people would have as dignified and comfortable death as possible. End of life care was provided in a compassionate way.

Staff knew the people they cared for and what was important to them. Staff appreciated people’s unique life histories and understood how these could influence the way people wanted to be cared for. People were actively involved with the local community. People were encouraged and supported to engage with services and events outside of the home. Staff supported and encouraged people to engage with a variety of activities and entertainments available within the home. Activities were structured to people's interests and people chose what activities they wanted to do. The environment was designed to enable people to move freely around the home.

Feedback was sought from people and their relatives and used to improve the care. People knew how to make a complaint and complaints were managed in accordance with the provider

We carried out this unannounced on a Saturday afternoon.

We observed that people were supported to make decisions about their tea time meal. Care workers approached people in a respectful manner, asking questions and offering choices. To assist people with the choice of meal, a pictorial menu was displayed on each dining room table.

Care records contained information about the person's life history and a record of personal preferences about the person's choices, likes and dislikes and routines. Each person had a detailed, person-centred support plan. These had been discussed with the person, signed and dated.

People that we spoke with said they felt safe in the home. One person told us "I feel safe because there are always carers around. I could speak to any of them". Another person told us "my family visit often and I would tell them if I didn't feel safe". People that we spoke with said there were always enough care workers and support staff on duty to meet their care needs.

Care workers confirmed they had received training in person-centred care, care planning and report writing. Accident records, complaints and comments slips were in place as well as guidance for completion. Records are audited monthly during senior management visits to the home.

We saw evidence of regular care worker meetings. These had been well attended. One care worker told us "the meetings are planned in advance and we are encouraged to add items to the agenda.

People told us that they were treated with respect and dignity. They told us that staff helped them to choose things for themselves. People told us that they were happy living in the home. One person described it as a ''perfect'' place to live and another said they were very impressed with the quality of the care they received. People told us that they felt perfectly safe in the home. They said that they had never experienced anything bad, ''not even a raised voice or show of impatience''. People described staff as kind, caring, helpful and nice. One person described the staff as ''excellent'' and another said that the staff were ''impeccable''. People told us that they had absolutely no complaints about the home but would know how to make one if necessary. They told us that if they had any concerns they would talk to the manager who would always listen to you.

Relatives of people who lived in the home told us that they ''could not praise it enough'' their family members received excellent care and they would highly recommend it. A relative said ''I have no worries about their care as I trust the staff implicitly''.