About the service:

Starr Hills is owned by Methodist Homes and offers personal care to older people. Set on two floors all bedrooms are single with en suite facilities. A passenger lift is in place and ramps are situated at exit and entry points. An enclosed garden area is at the front of the home. Registered for 36 People. There were 36 people living at Starr Hills at the time of the inspection visit.

People’s experience of using this service:

The culture of the Starr Hills continued to be extremely caring, compassionate, respectful and empowering which reflected the values of the service. There was a strong recognition that people were treated as individuals. All people who lived at the home and relatives spoke highly of the caring attitude of staff. One person who lived at the home said, “Fantastic place, fantastic caring staff and fantastic manager. What else can I say.”

We observed and found many examples how Starr Hills continued to excel at their responsiveness to people’s needs, choices and wishes. One person who lived at the home said, “It was so refreshing that they let me make my own decisions and went through things together, an excellent home.” Records were extremely personalised with agreed goals to help each person maximise their independence and life-skills. People were assisted to retain their vital family relationships.

It was clear staff morale was excellent and everyone was committed to ensuring people received care and support based on their preferences and life choices.

The staff and management team continued to present as outstanding in the way they worked with each individual to establish their strengths. They empowered people to make their own choices and decisions. This was confirmed by people who lived at the home and relatives we spoke with.

Starr Hills continued to have exceptionally high levels of staffing and skill mixes, which were deployed in innovative ways so they could respond to people’s needs and choices. One person who lived at the home said, “They have a lot of staff around which means when I want to go out or spend time to do things there is always someone available.”

The aim at Starr Hills centred on promoting people’s individual and cultural needs. This included outstanding training to support staff in person-centred care and diversity and understanding so staff were aware of what high standards looked like.

People who lived at Starr Hills and relatives we spoke with felt extremely confident in the management team and how the service operated. They told us excellent staffing levels afforded people responsive and dignified support.

Staff at Starr Hills were highly committed to ensuring people experienced fulfilling lives and were protected from social isolation. The whole ethos of people's care was individualised and focused on promoting people's independence as well as their physical and mental well-being. People were empowered to make their own choices and staff were highly motivated. This meant they were able to achieve very positive outcomes for people.

People who lived at the home told us the quality and choices of food provided was very good. Healthy eating was promoted. Meal times were relaxed and organised around people’s individual daily routines.

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. We found staff worked within the same Mental Capacity Act framework they had at the last inspection by CQC.

People’s care and support had been planned proactively and in partnership with them. They felt consulted and listened to about how their care would be delivered.

Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. People received their medicines as prescribed and when needed and appropriate records had been completed.

They s

The inspection visit took place on 02 November 2016 and was unannounced.

Starr Hills is owned by Methodist Homes and offers personal care to older people. Set on two floors all bedrooms are single with en suite facilities. A passenger lift is in place and ramps are situated at exit and entry points. An enclosed garden area is at the front of the home. Registered for 36 People. There were 36 people living at Starr Hills at the time of the inspection visit.

A registered manager was in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are The inspection visit took place on 02 November 2016 and was unannounced.

Starr Hills is owned by Methodist Homes and offers personal care to older people. Set on two floors all bedrooms are single with en suite facilities. A passenger lift is in place and ramps are situated at exit and entry points. An enclosed garden area is at the front of the home. Registered for 36 People. There were 36 people living at Starr Hills at the time of the inspection visit.

A registered manager was in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection on 18 September 2014 we found the provider was meeting the requirements of the regulations inspected.

We found many examples of how activities and ratios of staff allowed one to one support for people who lived at Starr Hills to follow their hobbies. We found this had a hugely positive impact on their lives. Comments from people who lived at the home and relatives were very positive. Comments included, “The activities are outstanding what they did for my [relative] was unbelievable.”

We observed staff demonstrated an exceptionally caring, compassionate and kind attitude towards people who lived at the home. People told us staff were very respectful and spent quality time with people. There were many examples of how caring attitudes of staff had a very positive impact on people’s lives. One person who lived at the home said, “They are so kind and what I like is the time and patience they spend with me.” A relative said, “They are brilliant so caring and know just how to treat [relative]. They have given [relative] a new lease of life because of how much attention she has been given.”

Health professionals we spoke with told us how they felt the service provided outstanding care. They were impressed with the knowledge of staff with their attention to end of life care.

At this inspection we found the registered manager had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take appropriate action when required. Staff had received safeguarding adults training and understood their responsibilities to report any unsafe care.

We found recruitment checks were carried out to ensure suitable staff were employed to work at the home and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. This was confirmed by talking with staff members and looking at records of staff recruitment.

We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide support people required. This included staff supporting people with one to one support and to attend hospital appointments. We saw staff members could undertake tasks without feeling rushed when supporting people. Staff also told us they had time to spend with people and that was promoted by the registered manager.

Staff received training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.

We noted responsible staff dispensed medicines, without interruption and at t

We looked for evidence to answer the following questions. Is the service caring, responsive, safe, effective and well led? Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and from looking at records. If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe? People were treated with respect and dignity by the staff. People told us they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were in place and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported. The service was safe, clean and hygienic.

Is the service effective? People’s health and care needs were assessed with them, and they were involved in put together their own care plans. Specialist dietary, mobility and equipment needs had been identified in care plans where required. People said that they had been involved in writing their care plans and they reflected their current needs.

Is the service caring? People were supported by kind and attentive staff. We saw that care workers showed patience and gave encouragement when supporting people. People at the home said that they felt their needs were very well met by the staff. We found that people's nutritional needs were met.

Is the service responsive? People completed various activities in and outside the service. Changes to the care and support people needed were made in response to their changing needs.

Is the service well-led? The service worked well with other agencies and services to make sure people received their care in a joined up way. The service had a quality assurance system; records showed that identified shortfalls were addressed promptly. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the home and wanted to ensure it was implemented.

On the day of our visit we spoke with the manager, staff, relatives and residents. We also had responses from external agencies including social services .This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at Starr Hills.

During the inspection we looked at care planning, staffing levels and staff induction training records. We also observed care practices during the day and talked with residents and relatives about the home.

We spoke with people who lived at the home. They told us they could express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care. One resident said, “The staff and manager are wonderful, nothing is too much trouble.” Staff confirmed to us they also involved people to ensure they received the right care and support.

We observed the staff team providing sensitive and flexible personal care support. The staff were kind and patient and showed a good understanding of the needs of the person in their care.

Relatives we spoke with said their family members were receiving safe and appropriate care which was meeting their needs. One said, “I visit two of my relatives here and there is no place better.”

There were a range of audits and systems in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided.

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person said, “It’s a relief being here because now I don’t have to worry about anything. I am being well looked after.” A visitor said “They care for my mum wonderfully.”

People told us they were involved in planning and reviewing their care and support and they felt confident they would be listened to. One person said “The staff treat me with dignity and respect.”

People told us they were asked for their consent before care was delivered. People were involved in activities both within and away from the home. Several people were taking part in organised activities during our visit.

People said they were confident that staff were trained to do their job properly and they felt safe when being supported by them. There was a suitable and sufficient range of equipment in place to safely meet people’s needs and promote their independence.

The home was clean, bright and comfortable throughout.

As part of the planning and during the unannounced site visit we spoke to a range of people about the service. Those we spoke to included, the registered manager, people who live at the home, staff and visiting relatives. We also had responses from external agencies such as social services in order to gain a balanced overview of what people experience living at Starr Hills Residential Home.

Responses from staff and people who live there were very positive and reflected how the home is run in their best interest. Comments included, "Been here a long time and I cant fault it at all.” Also, "I have got to know everybody and it’s just a nice place to live.” A relative spoken with said, "They seem to do a really good job here my relative is very happy." They told us that staff are very good at contacting the family when this was required.

People living at the home were very positive about care and support provided by the staff team. One person told us, "Staff are very kind, always around." Another person said “We are very well looked after.” A relative spoken with spoke very highly of the support provided at Starr Hills. “We are very happy with the care my relative gets here.”

None of the people we spoke with had any concerns or issues about the standard of care they were receiving. Two people we spoke to told us they liked living at the home and felt safe and secure. A relative told us, “It’s comforting to know m….. is happy and we don’t have to worry.”