The Malting’s Care Home is registered to provide accommodation for a maximum of 50 persons who require nursing and personal care. At the time of this inspection 45 people were using the service.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 30 March 2017 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection under the provider’s current registration.

A registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection and had been registered with this provider since 2016. 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.

Staff knew what the types and signs of harm were, how to keep people safe and who they could report any incident of harm to. A sufficient number of safely recruited and competent staff were in place to meet people’s individual care needs. People were looked after by staff whose suitability to look after them had been robustly determined.

People’s medicines were managed and administered safely by staff whose competence to do this had been assessed. Risk assessments for subjects such as skin integrity, moving and handling and administration of medicines were in place and up to date. This helped keep people safe.

People’s needs were met and supported by trained and skilled staff who knew the people they cared for well. People were supported with their health care needs and access to these services when required. Staff adhered to the advice healthcare professionals provided.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the Mental Capacity Act 2005 [MCA] and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS] and to report on what we find. People’s mental capacity had been accurately determined. Although people’s capacity was not always decision specific the provider was working with the local authority’s best interest assessor in improving the accuracy of people’s DoLS applications. Staff had an awareness of the application of the MCA and DoLS code of practice. Where people needed to have restrictions on their liberty, these had been authorised by the local authority.

People’s privacy and dignity was provided by staff in a respectful way. People were involved as much as they wanted in the planning of their care. People were enabled to access advocacy services and where required had relatives who could lawfully have a say in they were looked after.

People were provided with various opportunities to help reduce the risk of social isolation. A range of pastimes, hobbies, activities and access to the community was provided. People were supported by staff to be as independent as possible.

People’s concerns, suggestions and complaints were recorded and acted upon promptly. Compliments were used to identify what worked well.

The registered manager was supported by a compliance manager, nursing, senior care and care staff, catering and domestic staff. Staff had regular updates to their training, mentoring, coaching and support from management.

Most audits and quality assurance processes were effective in identifying ways to improve the service. This was due to the subjects covered and the staff who undertook this role. However, these audits did not cover all areas and this meant that the management of people’s information was not robust as it could have been. People’s views about the quality of the service had been sought. People, their relatives and staff were able to make suggestions. This was to improve and maintain the quality of the service that was provided.