This unannounced inspection took place took place on 15 August 2017.

Hornchurch Care Home is registered to provide nursing care for 55 older people some of whom may have dementia or palliative care needs. On the day of our inspection, 51 people were using the service.

At our last inspection on 17 August 2016, we found the provider at the time did not meet legal requirements to ensure the service was safe because there was not always enough staff on duty, people's care needs were not being met on time and records were not always up to date. The provider wrote to us to let us know what action they were taking to meet these requirements. However, since our previous inspection, the service transferred to a new provider. This was the first inspection under the new provider.

We saw that improvements had been made and the service was now safe. There were enough staff working in the service to meet people’s needs during the day and at night.

The service had 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.

People told us they felt safe living at Hornchurch Care Home. The service has three units, with people living on a unit that was best equipped to meet their needs.

The premises were safe, clean and regularly maintained. The registered manager had arranged for refurbishments to be carried out externally and internally, including a new outdoor garden patio and a therapeutic indoor sensory garden.

Risks to people were identified and managed to ensure they remained safe.

Staff received training on how to keep people safe and were able to describe the actions they would take if they had any concerns about people’s safety. The provider also had a whistleblowing policy which staff were aware of and they knew how to report on concerns they had.

The provider had safe recruitment procedures in place and carried out checks on new employees.

Staff were supported with regular training, meetings and supervision. Staff work performance was reviewed on a yearly basis and they were encouraged to develop their skills.

The provider had systems in place to support people who lacked capacity to make decisions for themselves. Staff received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and were knowledgeable of the processes involved in assessing people’s capacity.

Staff ensured people had access to appropriate healthcare when needed and their nutritional needs were met.

Staff were aware of people’s preferences, likes and dislikes. People were treated with dignity and their choices were respected.

People received personalised care and support, to ensure their individual needs were met. They were encouraged to participate in activities and remain as independent as possible.

People and relatives were able to make complaints and have them investigated. Disciplinary action was taken by the registered manager when required to ensure staff conducted themselves appropriately.

Staff felt supported by the management team. The registered manager had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided to people. They were supported by regional managers and they worked well together to ensure improvements were made.