The Kingfisher Care Home is registered to provide personal care for up to 20 people. Accommodation is on two floors with a stair lift for access between the floors. There are two lounges and a large dining room and a large garden for people to enjoy. The home is situated close to shops, buses and trams, the beach and the local facilities of Thornton Cleveleys.

At the last inspection in May 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

This was an unannounced inspection visit carried out on the 12 July 2017.

Although a number of people had limited verbal communication and were unable to converse with us, people we did speak with told us they were safe and secure at the home. A relative said, “The way they look after people is fantastic. I feel secure and relaxed knowing [relative] is safe.”

We found the service had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.

We looked around the building and found it had been maintained, was clean and hygienic and a safe place for people to live. We found equipment had been serviced and maintained as required.

The management team had systems to protect people from unsafe management of their medicines. Recordkeeping was completed correctly and we found staff responsible for medicines were trained and competency tested.

Care records of two people we looked at were informative and reviewed on a regular basis. Staff told us care records were up to date and were important to ensure people received the right care and attention.

Staffing levels were sufficient to provide support people required. We confirmed this by talking with staff and people who lived at the home and by our observations on the day of the inspection visit. One staff member said, “The manager will get extra staff in straight away if the needs of residents change.”

We found staff had been recruited safely, appropriately trained and supported. They had skills, knowledge and experience required to support people who lived with dementia and care for their social and personal care needs. Staff spoken with told us they were well trained and always offered opportunities to develop their skills through training courses and professional qualifications.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

At lunchtime we found people had a variety and choice of meals. People who lived at the home told us if they did not like what was on the menu then they could choose something else. Comments were positive about the quality of food and meals provided. One person who lived at the home said, “The food is cooked fresh you can’t ask for more than that. It is also very good.”

People had access to healthcare professionals and their healthcare needs were met.

People who lived at the home had access to advocacy services. This ensured their interests were represented by professionals outside of the service to act on their behalf if needed.

Staff knew people they supported and provided a personalised, individual service in a supportive and professional manner. Care plans of people who lived at Kingfisher were easy to follow and had identified the care and support people required. We found they were informative about care people had received.

The provider had a complaints procedure which was made available for people and a copy was found on the notice board at the home. People we spoke with told us they had no complaints.

The management team used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits, team meetings of staff and ‘residents’, also relative surveys were obtained to seek their views about the servi

The inspection visit took place on 15 May 2015 and was unannounced.

The Kingfisher Care Home is registered to provide personal care for up to 20 people. Accommodation is on two floors with a stair lift for access between the floors. There are two lounges and a large dining room and a large garden for people to enjoy. The home is situated close to shops, buses and trams, the beach and the local facilities of Thornton Cleveleys. At the time of the inspection visit 18 people were living at the home.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

At the last inspection on 8 January 2014 the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations that were inspected at that time.

People who lived at the home, relatives and friends told us they felt safe and secure with staff to support them. We found people’s care and support needs had been assessed before they moved into the home. Care records we looked at contained details of people’s preferences, interests, likes and dislikes.

We observed staff interaction with people during our inspection visit, spoke with staff, people who lived at the home and relatives. We found staffing levels and the skills mix of staff were sufficient to meet the needs of people and keep them safe. The recruitment of staff had been undertaken through a thorough process. We found all checks that were required had been completed prior to staff commencing work. This was confirmed by talking with staff members.

We observed medication was being dispensed and administered in a safe manner. We observed the person responsible for administering medication dealt with one person at a time to minimise risks associated with this process. We discussed training and found any person responsible for administering medicines had received formal medication training to ensure they were confident and competent to give medication to people.

People who lived at the home and relatives were happy with the variety and choice of meals available to them. Regular snacks and drinks were available between meals to ensure they received adequate nutrition and hydration. One person who lived at the home said, “The meals are very nice. We always have a choice and there is plenty.”

People who lived at the home were encouraged and supported to maintain relationships with their friends and family members. Relatives and visitors we spoke with told us they were always made welcome when they visited their loved ones.

The care plans we looked at were centred on people’s personal needs and wishes. Daily events that were important to people were detailed, so that staff could provide care to meet their needs and wishes. People we spoke with were confident that their care was provided in the way they wanted.

Staff were seen to organise activities designed to stimulate people living with dementia. For example on the day of our visit board games were organised for the afternoon. People we spoke with told us they enjoyed games played with the staff.

We found a number of audits were in place to monitor quality assurance. Records demonstrated identified issues were acted upon in order to make improvements. The registered manager and provider had systems in place to obtain the views of people who lived at the home and their relatives.

There were 19 people in the home when we inspected. We talked with people either individually or in small groups. Most people had dementia and had communication difficulties. They were unable to have a detailed conversation about the care and support they received. However where possible we talked with people in a general way and we observed how people were supported by staff. We also talked with some people’s relatives.

We saw the care and support staff gave to people during the inspection. We observed people living in the home being treated with respect and dignity in a friendly and caring way.

We talked with some people’s relatives to find out their views of the home. One relative told us. “I am very happy with the care. It is a good home with caring staff.”

People told us that the meals were good. We saw staff assisting and encouraging people with their meals as needed. They were attentive and supported people appropriately.

Equipment was serviced regularly to make sure that it was safe for people to use.

Systems were in place for monitoring the quality of the service people received. People living in the home and relatives told us that they were well supported by the manager and staff team.

People had limited verbal communication and understanding. However they were able to tell us they were happy and liked the staff at The Kingfisher Care Home.

We observed people living in the home being treated with respect and dignity. Staff supported people in a relaxed unhurried way, encouraging them to carry out tasks and activities they were able to do. People said they were looked after well. One person said, “I like the staff very much.” Relatives said that staff were kind and caring. One relative told us. “The staff are so patient and they always take the time to listen.”

We saw that routines in the home were flexible and people were encouraged to make their own decisions about their daily routine. Relatives and staff told us that staff encouraged people to make choices about their care and support. We observed people being given choices about the activities they wanted to do and the food they wanted to eat.

Staff encouraged people to join in activities. Relatives told us that the activities were excellent. They told us how they enjoyed being included in the activities and outings. “One relative said, “It helps you feel closer and more involved.”

Relatives told us the care and support their family member received was good. One relative said, "The staff could not be better. They are excellent”. Another relative told us, “The staff here are brilliant. They do everything they can for the residents and for us relatives.”