This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 16 August 2017.

We last inspected Ridley Park Care Home in June 2015. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the legal requirements in force at the time.

Ridley Park Care Home is a 59 bed care home that provides personal and nursing care to older people, including people who live with dementia or a dementia related condition. At the time of inspection there were 54 people living there.

A registered manager was 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 said they were safe and staff were kind and approachable. There were sufficient staff to provide safe and individual care to people. People were protected as staff had received training about safeguarding and knew how to respond to any allegation of abuse. When new staff were appointed, thorough vetting checks were carried out to make sure they were suitable to work with people who needed care and support.

Staff knew the people they were supporting well. Care was provided with kindness but people’s privacy and dignity were not always respected. We have made a recommendation that staff receive training to make them more aware of person-centred care and personhood.

The environment was well designed to help people who lived with dementia to be aware of their surroundings and to remain involved. There was a good standard of hygiene and the home was well decorated and maintained.

People had access to health care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment. Staff followed advice given by professionals to make sure people received the care they needed.

Menus showed people received a varied and balanced diet to meet their nutritional needs. However, we received mixed comments about the food and have made a recommendation that people in the home should be consulted and involved in the menu compilation.

Risk assessments were in place and they accurately identified current risks to the person as well as ways for staff to minimise or appropriately manage those risks. Staff knew the needs of the people they supported to provide individual care. Records were in place that reflected the care that staff provided. Systems were in place for people to receive their medicines in a safe way.

Appropriate training was provided and staff were supervised and supported. People were able to make choices about aspects of their daily lives. They 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.

A complaints procedure was available. People told us they would feel confident to speak to staff about any concerns if they needed to. The provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided.

People had the opportunity to give their views about the service. There was regular consultation with people and/ or family members and their views were used to improve the service. People had access to an advocate if required.

Staff and relatives said the management team were approachable. Communication was effective to ensure staff and relatives were kept up to date about any changes in people’s care and support needs and the running of the service.

The inspection took place on 26 June 2015 and was unannounced.

We carried out an inspection on 2 January 2014, where we found the provider was meeting all the regulations we inspected.

Ridley Park accommodates up to 59 older people, some of whom have dementia related conditions. There were 58 people living at the home at the time of the inspection.

There was a manager in post. She was in the process of applying to become a registered manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in line with legal requirements. She had been the deputy manager since the home opened in November 2011 and had taken up the post of manager in April 2015 when the previous registered manager was promoted to operations director with Hadrian Healthcare. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

There were safeguarding procedures in place. Staff knew what action to take if abuse was suspected. We spoke with the local authority safeguarding officer who told us that there were no organisational safeguarding concerns regarding the service.

The home was divided into three units. On the ground floor there was one unit, ‘Harbour and Park’ for people who required support with personal care. On the first floor there were two units, ‘Beaches’ for people who had nursing needs and ‘Chesters’ for those who had a dementia related condition. On the third floor there was a hairdressing and beauty salon, cinema, bar and function room.

We spent time looking around the premises and saw that all areas of the building were very clean and well maintained. There were no offensive odours in any of the bedrooms or communal areas we checked.

Safe recruitment procedures were followed. People and staff told us that there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs although some told us that more staff would be appreciated. We observed that staff carried out their duties in a calm, unhurried manner on the day of our inspection. The manager provided us with information which showed that staff had completed training in safe working practices and to meet the specific needs of people who lived there such as dementia care.

We checked medicines management. We found that there were safe systems in place to receive, store, administer and dispose of medicines.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). These safeguards aim to make sure that people are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. We found that the staff were following the principles set out in the MCA.

We observed that staff supported people with their dietary requirements. Staff who worked at the home were knowledgeable about people’s needs. We observed positive interactions between people and staff.

There were two part time activities coordinators employed to help meet the social needs of people. There was an activities programme in place. The manager informed us that they were going to extend the planned activities provision to cover the weekend period.

There was a complaints procedure in place. Feedback systems were in place to obtain people’s views. ‘Residents and relatives’ meetings were held and surveys carried out.

A number of checks were carried out by the manager. These included checks on health and safety, care plans, infection control and medicines amongst other areas. Staff informed us that they were happy working at the home and morale was good.

We found no breaches of regulations at this inspection.

We spoke with six people and four relatives who were complimentary about the home. One relative informed us, “The home is spot on. I’ve never had any complaints.”

People and relatives informed us that consent was always obtained before care and treatment were carried out. Where people did not have the capacity to consent; the provider acted in accordance with legal requirements.

People and relatives were complimentary about the care and treatment provided at the home. One person said, “My mum loves it here…Mum’s care is reviewed weekly and any changes are discussed. She has been out to Alnwick Gardens, Beamish [museum] and the Metro Centre.” We considered that people’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan.

People informed us that they felt safe at the home. We concluded that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. Appropriate pre-employment checks were undertaken before staff began work.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained.

We spoke with seven people about their experiences of the care and support they received from this service. They said they received a very good service. People told us staff were kind and supportive and were aware of their needs. They said the food was wonderful and they were very comfortable at Ridley Park. One visitor told us, “It is absolutely fantastic and the staff are top notch. X is able to make choices about her routine and gets really good support.”

Relationships between staff and people were good and there was a relaxed atmosphere. People told us that staff respected their privacy and dignity.

Individual records were detailed and provided clear information about the care and support provided.

Systems were in place to ensure the home was well maintained and clean. These reduced the risk and spread of infection.

Staff were supported by an effective management team. Training was provided to ensure staff had the skills to meet people’s needs.

Quality monitoring systems were in place and these took account of people’s views about the service.