About the service: Reach Home Care - Arden House is a residential care home that provides personal care to 13 older people, some of whom are living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People showed they were happy living at Reach Home Care – Arden House. One person said, “I’ve only got nice things to say about this place. It’s perfect, absolutely nothing wrong with it at all.”

• Staff were very kind, caring and compassionate and knew each person well. They enjoyed working at the home and praised the registered manager for her kindness and support. One member of staff said, “At the end of the day we’re here for the residents. As long as they’re happy.”

• The provider had systems in place to manage risks and keep people safe from avoidable harm. Staff followed good practice guidelines to prevent the spread of infection and gave people their medicines safely.

• There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s physical care needs and to spend time with people, chatting and making sure they were comfortable.

• Staff received training, supervision, guidance and support so that they could do their job well. They worked well as a team.

• People made decisions in all aspects of their lives. 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 were involved in deciding on the care they wanted. Their preference for how staff delivered their care was recorded in their care plans.

• Reach Home Care – Arden House was people’s home and staff did everything they could to make people’s lives as comfortable and fulfilling as possible.

• The home was very well managed by a registered manager who was passionate about giving people a high-quality, personalised service.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection we rated this service Good (report published on 28 September 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we might inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection took place on 25 August 2016 and was unannounced.

Reach Home Care- Arden House provides care and support for up to 13 people who are physically and mentally frail; some of whom may be living with dementia. There were 13 people living at the service when we visited.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

People felt safe living at the service. Staff were aware of the processes in place to report incidents of abuse; and had been provided with training on how to keep people safe from abuse and harm. Processes were in place to manage identifiable risks and to promote people’s independence and safety. The service’s recruitment procedure was robust to ensure that staff were suitable and fit to be employed. Systems were in place to ensure people’s medicines were managed safely and given at the prescribed times.

Staff were provided with induction and essential training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. They had regular one to one meetings to support them in their roles. People’s consent to care and support was sought before any care was provided. This was in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People were supported with food and drinks to maintain a balanced diet. When needed, staff supported people to access health care facilities.

People had developed good relationships with the staff team who treated them with kindness and compassion. Systems were in place to ensure that their views were listened to; and their privacy and dignity was upheld.

Before coming to live at the service people’s needs were assessed. This was to ensure that the care provided would be responsive to their needs. The service had a complaints procedure which was accessible to people and their relatives.

There was a positive, open, inclusive and transparent culture at the service. Staff supported people to maintain links with the local community. There was a quality assurance system in place to monitor the care provided and to drive continuous improvements.