Walstead Place Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Walstead Place Care Home is registered to provide care to up to 45 older people, some of whom were living with dementia, including trial stays, respite breaks and convalescent care. 42 people were using the service at the time of our inspection, nine of whom were on respite.

Bedrooms were located over three floors and were single occupancy with en-suite facilities. People had access to several communal areas, a hair salon and library. The building and accommodation were wheelchair accessible and had two passenger lifts. The service has a large garden which was well maintained.

At the last inspection of 13 September 2015, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection, the service remained Good.

There was 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 were safe at the service. Staff followed safeguarding procedures in place to protect people from abuse. Risk assessment and management systems were appropriate and ensured staff provided safe care. The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff deployed to provide safe care in a timely manner.

People were supported to receive their medicines in line with best practice guidance. Staff involved other health and social care professionals in the planning and reviewing of people’s care.

People’s needs were assessed and reviewed regularly. Staff had guidance about how to respond and meet people’s needs. The registered manager ensured staff learnt from incidents that happened at the service. Staff received the support they required to undertake their roles.

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. Staff sought people’s consent to care and respected their choices.

People were happy about the care they received. Staff were kind and caring. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their privacy and dignity. Staff had received national recognition from a care association about their caring manner.

People enjoyed the meals provided at the service and had sufficient amounts to eat and drink. People had access to healthcare services to maintain their health and wellbeing.

People were happy about a wide range of stimulating and entertaining activities provided at the service. Staff encouraged people to maintain their skills and to be independent.

People using the service and their relatives had opportunities to share their views about the service. The provider acted on their feedback to make the necessary changes. People knew how to make a complaint and were confident their concerns would be taken seriously.

People and staff commended the registered manager for their person centred approach to care and their management of the service.

The provider’s quality assurance systems were effective in identifying shortfalls in the home. Improvement plans were acted on to develop the service and improve the quality of care provided.

The registered manager worked closely with external agencies to ensure people received high standards of care.

The inspection took place on the 13 October 2015 and was unannounced.

Walstead Place Care Home with Nursing provides nursing care and accommodation for up to 43 people. On the day of our inspection there were 39 people living at the home. The home specialises in residential and nursing care support, people living with dementia, respite breaks and long term care. The home is a country house spread over three floors with two communal lounges, dining room and conservatory set in large gardens.

The home had a registered manager. 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 felt safe living at the home. There were good systems and processes in place to keep people safe. Assessments of risk had been undertaken and there were clear instructions for staff on what action to take in order to mitigate them. Staff knew how to recognise the potential signs of abuse and what action to take to keep people safe. One person told us “Yes, I do feel safe. To the point where I don’t think about it really”. The registered manager made sure there was enough staff on duty at all times to meet people’s needs. When the provider employed new staff they followed safe recruitment practices.

People’s individual needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support they required. People were consulted about their care to ensure wishes and preferences were met. Staff worked with other healthcare professionals to obtain specialist advice about people’s care and treatment.

Staff considered people’s capacity in line with The mental capacity Act. People were supported to take part in activities within and away from the home. People were supported to maintain relationships with people important to them.

People’s capacity to make decisions had been assessed. Staff observed the key principles in their day to day work checking with people they were happy for them to undertake care tasks before they proceeded.

The provider had arrangements in place for the safe ordering, administration, storage and disposal of medicines. People were supported to get the medicine they needed when they needed it. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health care services when needed.

Staff supported people to eat and they were given the time to eat at their own pace. People’s nutritional needs were met and people reported that they had a good choice of food and drink. One person told us, “The food, oh yes it is delicious. I like it”. Staff were patient and polite, supported people to maintain their dignity and were respectful of their right to privacy.

There were clear lines of accountability. Staff felt fully supported to undertake their roles. Staff were given regular training updates, supervision and development opportunities. One member of staff told us “The good thing about the training is that it helps to provide better care”. The registered manager and provider carried out regular audits in order to monitor the quality of the home and plan improvements.

Resident and staff meetings regularly took place which provided an opportunity for staff and people to feedback on the quality of the service. The provider took action in response to feedback received. Feedback was also sought by the provider via surveys which were sent to people at the home and relatives. Surveys results were positive and any issues identified were acted upon. People and relatives were aware how to make a complaint and all felt they would have no problem raising any issues. The provider responded to complaints in a timely manner with details of any action taken.

We looked at the care plans of ten people who used the service with varied care and nursing needs, staff's files and training records, the service's policies and procedures. We spoke with six people who lived in the home, three of their relatives, and four members of staff. We also spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and the regional manager.

We found that people's needs were assessed before they were admitted to the service and their care plans were reviewed regularly to ensure appropriate delivery of care. A relative told us, "My mother is very well cared for, I would not dream of her being anywhere else".

We saw that the staff were trained and knowledgeable in the safeguarding of vulnerable adults. A person who lived in Walstead Place said, "I feel safe here, the staff have my best interest at heart, I trust all of them and I also have a keyworker I can talk to if I have any worries".

We found there were a sufficient number of staff to meet people's needs. One care worker told us, "We are busy but not rushed, we can spend a little time with the residents between tasks".

The staff received appropriate professional development and were appropriately supported to provide care to people who used the service. They told us, “If we wish to attend any further training they always arrange this for us" and, "We get really good support from the management".

People were made aware of the complaints system. The manager told us, "Good communication and being transparent is the key, we learn from comments and complaints so we can improve the service people receive".