Red Court is a 39 bedded care home for older people including those who require dementia care. Accommodation is 38 single rooms and one double bedroom. There are four choices of lounges and a conservatory which opens out to a large secluded landscaped garden. The Grove is a newly built care home on the same site as Red Court. When open, the home will provide residential and dementia care for up to 63 people. Accommodation is situated over three floors with communal lounges and kitchenette areas. Rooms have ensuite facilities and there is a large enclosed courtyard area on the ground floor.

At the time of the inspection, The Grove was not open to admissions. The provider had began to recruit a dedicated staff team and would then proceed to accepting admissions on a planned basis. However, due to repair work in Red Court, the registered manager was using the accommodation in The Grove to provide care for more frail service users.

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 had worked the service for many years and was experienced in their role. They were knowledgeable and passionate about their job and the people living at the home. Staff were friendly and warm towards people and understood their needs well. Staff understood their responsibilities in safeguarding people from harm and how to keep people safe.

Without exception, all of the people we spoke with told us they were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. They were able to give examples of how they felt valued and well cared for by staff. We observed positive and warm engagement from staff throughout the inspection and it was clear that people were very relaxed and comfortable in staff's company.

Relatives were all positive in their feedback about the home. They spoke highly of the registered manager and staff and stated they would not hesitate to recommend the home to others.

There were sufficient numbers of staff in place to meet people's needs. The provider's recruitment processes were sufficiently robust to ensure that staff went through appropriate pre-recruitment checks. Staff were supported in their role through training, induction and supervision, which helped them to remain motivated and effective in their role.

Staff encouraged people to remain as independent as possible sought consent from people before providing care and support. People's ability to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their rights were protected and their liberty was not restricted unlawfully.

People told us that they liked the food and there was a choice available for them. There were activities available for people to engage in which were meaningful for them.

People were supported to have their healthcare needs met and there were systems in place to safely mange people's medicines.

Risks to people were assessed and monitored to help keep people safe. Where incidents took place, the registered manager reflected and implemented learning in order to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. The registered manager ensured that CQC were informed about significant incidents which occurred in the home, this was in line with regulatory requirements.

The registered manager sought feedback from people, relatives and staff in order to make improvements to the service. The provider had a system of audits and checks in place which monitored the quality and safety of the service.

This inspection took place on 14 October 2015 and was unannounced. At the last inspection in November 2013 we found the provider met the regulations we looked at.

Red Court is a 39 bedded care home for older people including those who require dementia care. Accommodation is 38 single rooms and one double bedroom. There are four choices of lounges and a conservatory which opens out to a large secluded landscaped garden.

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.

People who used the service told us they felt safe and enjoyed living at the home. We saw care practices were good. Staff respected people’s choices and treated them with dignity, respect and compassion.

Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding vulnerable adults and knew what they needed to do to keep people safe. Staff told us they were well supported by the registered manager and received regular supervision, training and opportunities to discuss any concerns.

People were protected from risks associated with medicines because the provider had robust systems in place to manage these safely. People were supported to maintain good health and had good access to a range of health professionals when this was required.

There were sufficient staff to keep people safe, although some people felt there could occasionally be more at certain times of the day. The provider ensured that staff’s skills were kept up to date to ensure they had the knowledge needed to support people safely.

Recruitment and selection procedures were robust and the provider ensured that background checks were completed before staff began working with people.

People’s care plans contained appropriate mental capacity assessments and the provider had applied for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards appropriately. Care plans were person centred and included detail that would assist staff in developing caring relationships with people.

There was a pleasant atmosphere in the home. We saw staff made time to chat to people and spoke in a kind and respectful manner.

Information in care plans was sufficient to ensure people were provided with consistent, effective care and support.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of service provided.

During the inspection we had the opportunity to speak with people who used the service, relatives and staff members.

The people who used the service and their relatives told us they were looked after well and felt safe with the care and treatment provided. Their comments included: "This is a wonderful place to live", “They look after me well” and “I love it here”.

We found that service had appropriate systems in place to ensure consent was gained before staff proceeded with personal care.

We spent time observing the lounge and dining area during the day of our inspection. We looked at how people spent their time and how staff interacted with people.

The interactions we saw between staff and people who used the service and visitors were respectful. We saw some people engaged in activities with members of staff such as looking at photographs and having their hair cut by the hair dresser.

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. One person said “activities staff are very good and there are things we can do, but sometimes I just say no.”

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. One person said "I am looked after very well" another person said "all the staff are lovely, I can’t complain".

People who use the service, staff and visitors were protected against the risks of unsafe or unsuitable premises. The provider carried out regular audits of the premises to ensure that they remained in good condition and fit for purpose.

People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. This included carrying out a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check, taking up references from previous employers and checking evidence of the identification of new staff.

There was an effective complaints system available.Comments and complaints people made were responded to appropriately.

People told us they were very happy with the care and support provided by staff and that staff were kind, considerate and caring and always respected their right to privacy and dignity. People said the environment is always clean and pleasant. People told us if they have any concerns they are happy to raise them with the staff or management and are confident they will be dealt with appropriately.

All staff we spoke were positive about the support they receive from the manager.