Southway is a residential care home which provides care and support for older people who are living with dementia. The service is registered for 42 people. At the time of our inspection there were 40 people using the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People using the service felt safe. Staff had received training to enable them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and felt confident in how to report them.

People had risk assessments in place to enable them to be as independent as they could be in a safe manner. Staff knew how to manage risks to promote people’s safety, and balanced these against people’s rights to take risks and remain independent.

There were sufficient staff, with the correct skill mix, on duty to support people with their needs. Effective recruitment processes were in place and followed by the service. Staff were not offered employment until satisfactory checks had been completed. Staff received an induction process and on-going training. They had attended a variety of training to ensure they were able to provide care based on current practice when supporting people. They were supported with regular supervisions.

Medicines were managed safely. The processes in place ensured that the administration and handling of medicines was suitable for the people who used the service.

People were supported to make decisions about all aspects of their life; this was underpinned by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff were knowledgeable of this guidance and correct processes were in place to protect people. Staff gained consent before supporting people.

People were able to make choices about the food and drink they had, and staff gave support when required to enable people to access a balanced diet. There was access to drinks and snacks throughout the day.

People were supported to access a variety of health professionals when required, including opticians and doctors, to make sure they received continuing healthcare to meet their needs.

Staff provided care and support in a caring and meaningful way. They knew the people who used the service well. People and relatives, where appropriate, were involved in the planning of their care and support.

People’s privacy and dignity was maintained at all times.

People were supported to follow their interests and join in activities.

People knew how to complain. There was a complaints procedure in place and accessible to all. Complaint had been responded to appropriately.

Quality monitoring systems were in place. A variety of audits were carried out and used to drive improvement.

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.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This inspection took place on 23 July 2015.

Southway is a residential care home which provides care and support for older people who are living with dementia. The service is registered for up to 42 people and at the time of our visit there were 38 people living there and two rooms were used for respite stays.

The service had 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.

The registered manager had recently been promoted to the role of operations manager. The deputy manager was performing the role of interim manager within the service, with the support of the registered manager.

People were protected from harm or abuse by staff that were aware of the principles of safeguarding and reporting procedures.

Risk assessments were in place and risks to people were managed appropriately. Accidents and incidents were reported and investigated in a timely fashion.

Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. Safe recruitment processes were in place and current vacancies were being recruited to.

Medicines were managed safely.

There was regular staff training and supervision to ensure staff had the right skills and knowledge for their roles.

The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed and staff sought people’s consent before providing care.

People were supported to have a balanced diet.

People saw health professionals when they needed to.

There was a positive relationship between people and staff. People were treated with kindness and compassion.

People had the opportunity to express their views regarding their care.

Staff worked hard to ensure they promoted people’s privacy and dignity.

People received care which was person-centred and suited their individual needs and wishes.

People had the opportunity to explore their own interests and activities and the service worked to develop the range of activities available.

The service had systems to obtain people’s feedback and provide them with a forum to raise concerns.

There was an open, warm and positive culture at the service.

The service had strong links with the local community and a number of community groups had worked alongside the service.

There was a clear set of values at the service which people, staff and the management all worked towards.

There were systems in place to ensure people and staff were supported by the management and the provider.

Quality control systems were in place to ensure care was delivered to a high standard and identify areas for development.