St Johns Home is a residential care home for people living with dementia. The accommodation for people is spread over two floors, the main communal areas were on the ground floor.

At the last inspection in May 2015, the service was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

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.

There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff working in the home to meet people’s care and support needs. Staff had been subject to robust recruitment procedures prior to working in the home and received training in key areas that enabled them to understand and meet people’s care needs. People were protected from the risk of harm because staff were confident in recognising and reporting to maintain people’s safety. People could be assured that they would receive their prescribed medicines safely.

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

People had detailed individual plans of care in place that were reflective of their care needs to guide staff in delivering their care and support. People’s needs were monitored closely and their plans of care reviewed to ensure they received appropriate care and support. People and their representatives had been involved in developing their plans of care which meant that people received consistent and personalised support.

People’s health and well-being was monitored by staff and they were supported to access relevant health professionals in a timely manner when they needed to. People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink to help maintain their health and well-being.

Staff took time to get to know people and ensured that people’s care was tailored to their individual needs. People had the information they needed to make a complaint and the service had processes in place to respond to any complaints.

People were supported by a team of staff that had the managerial guidance and support they needed to carry out their roles. The quality of the service was monitored by the audits regularly carried out by the registered manager and by the provider.

This inspection was carried out on 8 May 2015 and was unannounced. Although St John’s Home has been providing care for many years, the legal entity of the provider changed in April 2014, therefore the last inspection was carried out under the previous provider’s name.

St John’s Home provides care and support for up to 50 people, some of whom may experience memory loss associated with conditions such as dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 44 people living at the service.

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.

There was enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Staff had the knowledge and skills that they needed to support people. They received training and on-going support to enable them to understand people’s diverse needs and work in ways that were safe and protected people.

The provider understood their role in safeguarding vulnerable adults, staff aware of their roles and responsibilities in protecting people from and knew how to raise concerns, they were also aware of the provider’s ‘whistleblowing’ procedures.

Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs, wishes and preferences and were respectful and compassionate towards people. Wherever possible people were supported to make their own decisions about what they wanted to do and staff respected people’s right to privacy so their dignity could be maintained.

Staff had received support from the registered manager to keep developing their skills and knowledge. They understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

People were provided with a choice of nutritious meals. When necessary, people were given extra help to make sure that they had enough to eat and drink. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals when they required specialist help in order to maintain their health and well-being. We also found there were clear arrangements in place for ordering, storing, administering and disposing of medicines.

The management of the service was well established and provided consistent leadership. The provider had a system in place to make sure any complaints were responded to in a timely way. The provider and manager regularly monitored the quality of services provided, and when needed took action to improve the service.