The Boyne Residential Care Home provides personal care to 25 people with dementia care needs. The service has 19 single bedrooms and three twin bedrooms. Those in the twin rooms have made a positive choice to share a bedroom.

At the last inspection on 23 and 24 November 2015, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service was Good.

People felt safe living at the service. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse and staff knew the action to take if they had any concerns. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs and staff recruitment procedures were followed to ensure only suitable staff were employed. Risks were assessed and plans put in place to minimise them. Infection control procedures were being followed and the service was clean and fresh throughout. Systems and equipment were serviced at the required intervals and were maintained to keep them in good working order. People knew about their medicines and these were being managed safely. The provider was open to learning from incidents to improve practice.

People’s needs and wishes were ascertained before they came to the service and the provider used up to date technology and followed good practice guidance and relevant legislation to drive up standards and practice in the service. Staff training needs were identified, they undertook recognised qualifications in health and social care and received ongoing training to provide them with the skills and knowledge to care for people to a good standard. People’s dietary needs and preferences were identified and met and there was a good variety of meals available, including those to meet people’s religious and cultural needs. People’s healthcare needs were identified and they received the input from healthcare professionals as required.

The provider had followed dementia care good practice guidance to redecorate the service and provide a homely, dementia-friendly environment for people to live in. 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.

People, relatives, and professionals were very happy with the care and support staff provided to people. Choices were offered and met and staff were respectful and maintained people’s privacy and dignity. Staff had a good knowledge of people’s individual care and support needs which they met in a friendly, kind way and there was a happy, homely atmosphere throughout the service. People’s religious and cultural needs were known and respected.

Care records were comprehensive, person centred and reviewed regularly to keep the information up to date. Activities were based on people’s wishes and abilities and people enjoyed taking part. There was a complaints procedure in place and people felt confident to express any concerns, however minor, so they could be addressed. End of life care wishes were discussed and recorded so these were known and could be followed.

The registered manager was approachable and responsive and provided good leadership. They continuously strived to make improvements to the care and support people received and to the environment they lived in. The registered manager followed up to date good practice guidance and legislation as well as obtaining the views of people, relatives, staff and stakeholders about the service provision, which they listened to. The provider empowered people by being proactive and educating them about safeguarding, complaints, medicines management and mental capacity.

The service provided good quality care and met all relevant fundamental standards.

Further information is in the detailed findings in the main body of the report.

In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a registered manager on our register at the time.

We spoke with three staff, which included one of the providers who was also the acting manager and two care workers.

We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcome we inspected. We used the information to answer one of the five questions we ask;

• Is the service safe?

• Is the service effective?

• Is the service caring?

• Is the service responsive?

• Is the service well led?

Information relating to staff recruitment helped to answer if the home was safe.

This is a summary of what we found:

Is the service safe?

Recruitment practices were robust and being followed. Staff received induction training and updates to provide them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their work effectively.

The inspection took place on 23 and 24 November 2015 and the first day was unannounced. The last inspection took place on 30 June 2014 and the provider was compliant with the regulations we checked.

The Boyne Residential Care Home provides accommodation for a maximum of 25 older people with dementia care needs. At the time of inspection there were no vacancies.

The service is required to have a registered manager in post, and there is a registered manager for this service. 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 confirmed they were happy living at the service and feedback from people, relatives and visiting healthcare professionals confirmed the service was well run and people’s changing needs were being identified and met.

Safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures were in place and staff understood these and were clear to report any suspicions of abuse. The complaints procedure was displayed in the service and people and relatives were encouraged to express their views. They were confident they could raise any issues and that these would be addressed.

Risks were assessed for people and also for any areas of risk within the service so these were identified and action plans put in place to minimise them.

Staff recruitment procedures were in place and were being followed to ensure only suitable staff were employed at the service. The service was appropriately staffed to meet people’s needs.

Medicines were being well managed at the service and people were receiving their medicines as prescribed. People’s nutritional needs and preferences were being identified and met. Input from healthcare professionals was provided to monitor and address people’s health needs.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). DoLS are in place to ensure that people’s freedom is not unduly restricted.

Staff received training and demonstrated a good understanding of people’s individual needs and wishes and how to meet these effectively. Staff supported people in a gentle, calm and friendly way and respected their privacy and dignity.

Care records reflected people’s needs, choices and interests and were kept up to date and staff understood people’s changing care and support needs and provided person-centred care. People’s religious and social needs were identified and were being met.

Systems were in place for monitoring the service and these were effective so action could be taken promptly to address any issues identified. The service used good practice guidance and research to identify and make improvements the service provided to people.