Villarose is registered for 14 older people and is situated close to St Annes town centre. It is a detached dorma bungalow. The home comprises of single bedrooms with some ensuite facilities, two lounges, a dining area and a sun lounge. The garden areas are accessible for wheel chairs and they have a parking facility at the front of the home.

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

This inspection visit took place on 12 September 2017 and was unannounced.

The registered manager had procedures in place to minimise the potential risk of abuse or unsafe care. Staff spoken with were able to identify different types of abuse and had received training in safeguarding adults. One staff member said, “We have training up dated as well so we know the process.”

Medicines were stored in a clean and secure environment. We observed staff followed correct procedures when they administered medication at lunchtime and fully completed associated records. In addition medication audits were now in place regularly to ensure procedures were monitored.

We found staff had been recruited safely, received ongoing training and, were supported by the management team. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people in their care. In addition we found sufficient staff available to meet the needs of people who lived at the home. This was confirmed by all the staff we spoke with.

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

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.

People had been consulted about their care and had agreed with the support to be provided. We saw people had signed their care plans and consented to their care.

Care records we looked at confirmed people who lived at the home had access to healthcare professionals and their healthcare needs had been met. Staff had responded promptly when people had experienced health problems.

Staff knew people they supported and provided a personalised service in a caring and professional manner. Care plans were organised and had identified care and support required for people who lived at Villarose.

People told us they were happy with the variety and choice of meals available to them. All comments we received were positive about the quality of meals provided and included, “The food is very good here we have a cook who prepares lovely homemade meals.” Also, “The food is always homemade with good choices for us.”

People who lived at the home told us staff were all caring and respectful. Relatives also commented in surveys how caring staff were. We also confirmed this by our observations during the inspection visit.

People who lived at the home were provided with information with regards to support from an external advocate should this be required by them. The service also had information in the reception area of the home in relation to advocacy services in the area.

The management team had a complaints procedure which was made available to people on their admission to the home and their relatives. People we spoke with told us they were happy and had no complaints.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included regular audits and surveys sent to staff, relatives and for people who lived at Villarose. A recent survey from staff, relatives and people who lived at the home returned all positive comments about how the home was run and care provided.

On the day of our visit we spoke with the provider, manager, staff and residents. We also had responses from external agencies including social services .This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at Villarose. During the inspection we looked at care planning, food preparation and staff recruitment records.

We spoke with people who lived at the home. They told us they could express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care. They told us they felt listened to when discussing their care needs. One resident we spoke with said, “I didn’t think I would settle, however the staff have been wonderful and L… is so kind and caring.”

We spoke with people living at Villarose about their diet and how their nutritional needs were being met. Comments were all positive and included, “I can have anything I want at breakfast the cook is so obliging.” Also, Always a choice, it doesn’t worry me if I don’t like something because the cook will always provide an alternative.”

Staff we spoke with told us they felt supported by the manager and told us the recruitment system made sure all the necessary checks had taken place before they began working in the home.

There were a range of audits and systems in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided.

Prior to our visit we contacted Lancashire contracts monitoring team. They told us they currently had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.

We spoke with a range of people about the home. They included the manager, staff, relatives and people who lived at the home. We also had responses from external agencies including social services. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at Villarose.

We were able to speak with residents during the day of the inspection about their care and support. People we spoke with told us they could express their views and were involved in discussions about their care. They told us they felt listened to when discussing their care needs. One resident told us, “The place is tops.” A relative we spoke with said, “We came to visit and we were impressed with the warmth of the staff and the homely atmosphere.”

Comments from other residents were all positive and included,

“Lovely staff, good food and the staff try and keep us entertained.”

“Very clean home the staff do a wonderful job.”

“Always enough staff and management around if you need help.”

We contacted the Lancashire contracts monitoring team. They told us they currently had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.

We spoke to a range of people about the home. They included, the owners, staff, people who live at the home individually and in a group setting. We also had responses from external agencies such as social services in order to gain a balanced overview of what people experience.

Responses from staff and residents were positive and reflected how the home is run in the best interest of the people who live at Villarose. Comments included from residents, "Very good care." And, "Would not want to be anywhere else." A member of staff said, "We all get along fine." We sat and spoke to a few residents in the lounge and people said how well cared for they are and how much they liked the food.

We spoke to staff members individually and they told us about respecting people who live at the home and treating people with dignity. One staff member said, " You have to respect the person." Staff spoken to to knew about peoples needs and we talked about individual care and what support is required. One staff member said, "I have been here for a while and build up relationships with people, so it's easier to spot if somebody has a problem."

All the people we spoke to said good things about the staff and the way they are treated,comments included, "All kind people." Also, "Their are things going on which I like. The staff try and make sure we are provided for."

People told us that they would be comfortable in raising any concerns they may have and feel the home is run in the best interests of the people living here. One resident said, "They all do a good job."

As part of the review process we spoke to social services for a view of how the home

operates, and they told us they had no issues in respect of the delivery of care or any

safeguarding issues.

Villarose is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 14 older people. The home is situated close to St Annes town centre. All accommodation at the home is provided on a single room basis, some with en-suite facilities. There are two lounges, a dining area and a sun lounge. There are pleasant garden areas which are accessible for people with limited mobility.

The last inspection of the service took place on 14 November 2013. During that inspection the home was found to be compliant with all the regulations assessed.

This inspection took place on 14 July 2015 and was unannounced.

The service had a long-term registered manager in place who was also one of the registered providers. 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.

The registered manager was not available during our inspection. However, we were assisted by the long term care manager and the other registered provider.

The feedback we received from people who used the service, their relatives and community professionals was very positive. People expressed satisfaction with the care provided and all aspects of the management of the service.

People told us they felt safe care was provided. There were processes in place for the safe management of medicines. We saw that these were generally followed and that care workers managed people’s medicines carefully. However, we found two examples where errors had been made and noted that audits were not always completed in line with the scheduled dates. We made a recommendation about this.

Staff had a good understanding of any risks to people’s health or wellbeing and took the appropriate action to safeguard them. Risk assessments were conducted that helped to ensure any avoidable hazards were removed. We noted the presence of some toiletries in a communal bathroom during our inspection. However, following discussion with the provider, we were satisfied the provider had taken the needs of people who lived with dementia into account when assessing the safe storage of such items.

We found people were provided with safe, effective care that met their needs. People were supported to access health care support when they needed it and care staff worked effectively with external professionals to ensure people’s needs were met safely.

People felt they were treated with kindness and respect and that their privacy and dignity was respected. People were able to make decisions about their care and were encouraged to express their views.

People’s rights were respected. Where concerns were identified about the capacity of a person who used the service to consent to any aspect of their care, the key requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were put into practice to ensure their best interests were protected.

Staff were carefully recruited to ensure they had the suitable skills knowledge and character for their roles. Training was in place for all staff which helped them to develop in their roles and remain up to date with regards to safe working practices.

Managers of the service were supportive and approachable. People felt able to raise concerns and were confident their concerns would be properly addressed. People felt their views and opinions were valued and that when they made suggestions, these were listened to.

There were processes in place to ensure that safety and quality across the service were regularly monitored. The management team were committed to continuous improvement and were able to give us numerous examples of future development plans.