This unannounced comprehensive inspection took place on 11 December 2018. This is the first inspection of St Marys Haven since it was re-registered with CQC when the owners changed their legal entity and became a limited company. Despite this change, the owners, management team and many care staff at St Marys Haven had remained unchanged since our last inspection of this service in October 2017, under its previous registration. The current registered manager took up her post shortly after the last inspection.

Prior to this inspection the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had received some anonymous concerns alleging low staffing levels, poor staff morale, poor cleanliness of the service, concerns about the management and allegations of care provided to some people by some staff. This inspection was bought forward to look at these concerns. The provider and registered manager were aware of some of the recent concerns raised to CQC. These had been fully investigated and appropriate disciplinary action had been taken against specific staff members. Where it had been alleged that some staff had provided poor care to some people we spoke with those people and did not find any evidence to substantiate the concerns raised.

St Marys Haven is a care home which offers care and support for up to 34 predominantly older people. At the time of the inspection there were 31 people living at the service. Some of these people were living with dementia. The service is made up of two units and occupies a detached building. There were passenger lifts to provide people with access to the upper floors.

People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

During this inspection spent time in the communal areas of the service. Staff were kind and respectful in their approach, they knew people well and had an understanding of their needs and preferences. People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect.

One part of the service, which was unoccupied, was undergoing extensive renovations. The provider had taken steps to help ensure people were protected as far as possible from any disturbance resulting from this work. St Marys Haven provides care for people with dementia, however, there was no pictorial signage to support people who were living with dementia, who may require additional support with recognising their surroundings. The provider assured us this was being addressed with the building work which was planned to enhance the environment for people living with dementia.

We walked around the parts of the service, where people lived, and they appeared clean and were well maintained. There were no odours throughout the service. The premises were regularly checked and maintained by the provider. There were two cleaning staff on duty on the day of this inspection. Equipment and services used at St Marys Haven were regularly checked by competent people to ensure they were safe to use.

Care plans were held electronically. Risks in relation to people’s daily lives were identified, assessed and planned to minimise the risk of harm whilst helping people to be as independent as possible. Care planning was reviewed regularly and people’s changing needs were recorded. However, the front page of some care plans, detailing people’s needs, had not been updated at reviews. This meant some misleading out of date information was highlighted which could have misinformed staff. Daily notes were completed by staff, however, we noted there was sometimes a delay in staff entering details of the care provided on to the electronic systems. There were gaps in some people’s records. This meant, at times, it appeared that some people had not received any care or support for many hours, when we were assured that they had. Both of these issues were addressed during this inspection.

We h