Pinfold Lodge is registered to provide care for up to 34 older people with physical disabilities and personal care or nursing needs. It is situated in the village of Hunmanby just outside Scarborough. There are three floors and bedrooms are situated on all three floors. People have access on the ground floor to a large and spacious lounge and a separate dining room. There is also external garden space and seating areas. All bedrooms are used as single occupancy, although there is an option of two double sized bedrooms, which could be used by couples. The service has its own car park for visitors and there is disabled access into the building.

At the last inspection on 6 November 2014 the service was rated as ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

People told us they felt safe and were well cared for. The registered provider followed robust recruitment checks, to employ suitable people. There were sufficient staff employed to assist people in a timely way. People’s medicines were managed safely.

Staff had completed relevant training. We found that they received regular supervision, to fulfil their roles effectively.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People said they enjoyed good food. People's health needs were identified and staff worked with other professionals, to ensure these needs were met.

People’s independence was promoted. Health and social care professionals spoke positively about the quality of care provided and said they had a good impression of Pinfold Lodge and the staff when they visited the service. The service had achieved a quality award for end of life care. The service had good links with the local hospice and provided people with care that met their wishes and choices, whilst protecting their privacy and dignity.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual care needs and care plans were person centred and detailed. There was a range of social activities offered including meals to celebrate special events and festive holidays. Spiritual needs were met through in-house services and one-to-one pastoral care when requested.

People told us that the service was well managed and organised. The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care provided to people. People and staff were asked for their views and their suggestions were used to continuously improve the service.

Events requiring notification had been reported to CQC. The service met all relevant fundamental standards we inspect against.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection was carried out on 06 November 2014 and was unannounced. The previous inspection was carried out on 12 September 2013 CQC had no concerns at that inspection.

Pinfold Lodge is owned by Complete Care Homes. The home is registered to provide care for up to 34 older people with physical disabilities and personal care or nursing needs. It is situated in the village of Hunmanby just outside Scarborough. There was a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection although they were due to be leaving a short time after 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. Senior staff within the organisation were already in the process of recruiting a new manager.

We found that this service was safe and people told us that they felt safe living in the home. Staff were recruited safely and checks were made before staff were employed to ensure that they were considered suitable people to work with people who used the service.

There was sufficient staff with appropriate skills and knowledge on duty to meet the needs of the people who used the service. Staff received supervision from more senior staff which enabled them to discuss any matters pertinent to their work and to develop personally. This was not always done regularly but was an area the senior staff were working to improve. There was a full training programme in place and staff reported that they were able to access appropriate mandatory and additional training.

The staff spoke kindly to people and treated them with respect which was reflected in the good relationships between staff and people who used the service we observed during our inspection.

Staff were able to explain how they would safeguard people and if necessary how they would report any incidents that may have caused people harm. We saw that staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults. This meant that staff awareness around safeguarding was good and if any situation arose where someone was at risk of harm staff would know what to do. We found medicines were managed appropriately ensuring that people received their medication safely.

The registered manager was following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and had made applications in respect of people being deprived of their liberty where required.

The environment was well maintained and decorated and the building was fully accessible and appropriate for people using the service. The environment included alterations to ensure anyone with a dementia related condition could navigate easily around the building. Activities were designed to provide meaningful and enjoyable occupation during the day. Bedrooms were personalised and people had brought personal items and photographs to decorate their rooms.

There was an effective quality assurance system in place which helped in the development of the service and making changes and improvements.

We observed that people were spoken to respectfully and asked before support was given. Staff gave clear explanations and checked with people at each step of a task. When we spoke with people about the service they told us they were happy. One person said “They look after me just fine. I am happy”. A relative told us “I am absolutely delighted. The girls are lovely. I feel well informed and staff take pride in what they do. They are so caring”.

When we spoke with people who used the service they told us they enjoyed the food and always had plenty to eat. One person told us “It always smells very nice and tastes good”. A relative told us "The food is excellent. It always tastes nice and there is a good range which is adjusted seasonally. If my relative is hungry they will get them extra food even in the middle of the night”.

We found most areas of the service to be clean and tidy. The kitchen was found to be reasonably clean. There was a lack of storage and there were a large amount of items on surfaces. This meant it was difficult to ensure that all areas were cleaned thoroughly. We looked at staff files and documentation associated with recruitment and induction of staff and found this was done appropriately.

There were systems in place for gathering feedback from residents, relatives and staff but these were in need of updating and improving to ensure they were timely and effective. The new manager was reviewing all of these processes at the time of our visit.

We carried out an inspection of Pinfold Lodge in September 2012 and found there to be areas of concern regarding the care and welfare of people who used the service and staffing levels. We had also received concerning information about the way the home was dealing with complaints. We asked the provider to submit an action plan to us following the inspection detailing how they were going to address the issues highlighted. We revisited in February 2013 to see if the improvements had been made.

When we visited in February 2013 we found that the level of care had improved. People we spoke with who used the service told us that staff were much less rushed than before and support was given at a pace that was right for them. People confirmed that staff spent time with them and the activities had improved greatly. Care plan documentation had been subject to improvement and more rigorous monitoring.

We looked at rotas and spoke with staff and people who used the service about staffing levels. All those we spoke with felt there had been a great improvement in the levels of staff working in the home and staff told us they no longer felt overworked.

We looked at complaint documentation and records of action taken following issues being raised. Records of complaints and any actions taken were kept appropriately.

People told us they were treated with respect and that they felt involved in their care. They told us they were well cared for, but that they sometimes had to wait for attention due to staff being busy. People told us they enjoyed the meals and that the quality of food was very good. They did not always enjoy the activities on offer and felt that these could cater more for individual interests. People told us that the staff were confident and competent in their jobs and that they trusted them to give correct care.