This inspection took place on 15 November 2016.

The Albany Care Home supports people with personal and nursing needs. The home is registered for 37 people. At the time of our inspection there were 34 people living in the home.

A new manager was in post. The manager had submitted an application to become the registered manager with the Care Quality Commission. 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 were positive about living in the home. People and relatives were complimentary about the new manager and the changes they had made to improve the service. There was an open and honest culture that encouraged people, relatives and staff to raise concerns and comment on the quality of the service. Staff were knowledgeable about their responsibilities to raise concerns relating to safeguarding of vulnerable adults.

There was a cheerful, relaxed atmosphere throughout the inspection and it was clear people had developed meaningful relationships with staff. We saw many kind and compassionate interactions which demonstrated staff knew people well.

Where risks to people were identified there were management plans in place to manage the risks. Staff followed guidance to ensure risks were managed.

The manager and staff were knowledgeable about their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported in line with the principles of the act.

Staff felt well supported and valued. Staff received regular supervision and were supported to access development opportunities to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs.

People were complimentary about the food and were encouraged to give regular feedback to the chef. Where people had specific dietary requirements, these were met. Staff supported people to eat their meals where they chose and gave individual support where this was required.

Health and social care professionals were positive about the management of the home and told us people were referred appropriately when their condition changed. Records showed people had access to a range of health professionals.

There was a range of activities available to people and we saw people enjoying activities during our visit. People who remained in their room were visited regularly to prevent social isolation.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the service. This included a range of audits which identified areas of improvement and how those improvements would be made.