What life is like for people using this service:

People who lived at Wentworth House and relatives we spoke with felt confident in the management team and how the service operated. They told us good staffing levels afforded people responsive and dignified support.

It was clear staff morale was good and everyone was committed to ensuring people received care and support based on their preferences and life choices. People also told us they enjoyed their food, the range of activities and felt well cared for. In addition, people who lived at Wentworth House said they were always treated with respect. One person said, “We are treated with dignity and respect.”

We observed staff administered medication with a skilled and secure approach, which the registered manager strengthened through training. They continued to have good oversight of relevant procedures through monitoring and auditing to ensure people who lived at the home received medication safely.

Staff files we looked at evidenced the registered manager used the same safe recruitment procedures we found at our last inspection. Staff records showed personnel received training to enhance their skills. Staff we spoke with confirmed this.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

Care plan information focused on a person-centred method of supporting people. Also, information contained what support was required and consent to care forms had been signed by people who lived at Wentworth House or their representative.

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 supported people with their meals sensitively and respected their privacy. Staff checked they had enough to eat and comments were positive in relation to quality of meals and choices available to them. For example, snacks and drinks were served at any time of the day and night. One person who lived at the home said, “Always great meals, good home cooking with plenty of choice.”

People who lived at Wentworth House expressed positive views on how they were treated by staff. Comments included, “We are treated like royalty they are so kind and caring, all of them.” A relative said, “Extremely kind and patient staff.”

There was a complaints procedure which was made available to people and their family when they commenced using the service. People we spoke with told us they were happy with the support they received. No complaints had been received by the service since the previous inspection.

The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included staff and ‘resident’ meetings and satisfaction surveys to seek their views about the service provided. Recent surveys only produced positive comments about the home.

More information is in Detailed Findings below.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 12 November 2016).

About the service:

Wentworth House provides residential accommodation for up to 14 older people who do not require nursing care. The home is situated just outside St Annes centre on a main road and is near the shopping centre, local amenities and the promenade. The home has two floors and offers individual bedroom accommodation. Two lounges and dining areas are available on the ground floor. Parking is available on the forecourt of the home.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated good overall.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme or if any issues or concerns are identified.

This inspection took place on 29 September 2016 and was an unannounced inspection.

Wentworth House provides residential accommodation for up to 14 older people who do not require nursing care. The home is situated just outside St Anne’s centre on a main road and is in close proximity to the shopping centre, local amenities and the promenade. The home has two floors and offers individual bedroom accommodation. Two lounges and a dining area are available on the ground floor. Parking is available on the forecourt of the home.

At the time of the inspection visit 14 people lived at the home.

At the last inspection in November 2013 the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations that were inspected at that time.

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.

People told us they felt safe and contented at Wentworth House. The registered provider had procedures to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. Staff were familiar with these and had received training in safeguarding adults. They told us they would take prompt action to ensure people’s safety where they became aware of or suspected a safeguarding concern. We observed staff provided safe, patient and sensitive care during the inspection.

Staff managed medicines competently. People told us they felt staff gave them their medicines correctly and when they needed them. We saw they were given as prescribed and stored and disposed of correctly.

Staff had been trained in care and had the skills and knowledge to provide support to the people they cared for. People we spoke with told us staff were caring and supportive. They said their health needs were met promptly.

People we spoke with said staff were caring and respectful, listened to them and assisted them promptly. They said staff supported them to remain as independent as they could be. Staff knew the care people needed, which showed us they were familiar with people’s care needs, and preferences.

Recruitment and selection was carried out safely with appropriate checks made before new staff started working in the home. This reduced the risk of employing unsuitable people.

We looked at how the home was staffed. We saw there were enough staff to provide safe care. Staff had received training in care which gave them the skills and knowledge to provide support to people.

The environment was maintained, clean and hygienic when we visited. There were no offensive odours.

People told us they were offered a choice of meals. They were complimentary about the meals. Drinks were available throughout the day and people’s dietary and fluid intake was sufficient for good nutrition.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This enabled staff to work within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.

Staff recognised the importance of social contact, companionship and activities. They engaged in frequent conversations with people and encouraged them to get involved in activities.

Care plans were personalised, involved people and where appropriate their relatives and were regularly reviewed.

People told us they knew how to raise a concern or to make a complaint if they were unhappy with something. They said staff were easy to talk to. They said staff were willing to listen which encouraged them to express any ideas or concerns.

There were procedures to monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager sought people’s views in a variety of ways and dealt with any issues of quality quickly and appropriately.

On the day of our visit we spoke with the owner, 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 Wentworth House.

During the inspection we looked at care planning, food preparation and staff records. We also talked with residents about the home. Comments were positive and included, “It is a really good home. They do try and provide everything for you.”

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. Staff confirmed to us they involved people to ensure they received the right care and support.

We spoke with residents living at Wentworth House about their diet and how their nutritional needs were being met. They told us they were satisfied living at the home, felt cared for and the food was good. Comments included, “The cook is very good.” Also, “Plenty of homemade cakes and pies the cook is excellent.”

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 owners, staff, 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 Wentworth House.

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 care is very good from competent staff.” A relative we spoke with said, “I liked the way we were consulted when mum came here about all aspects of support she would receive.”

We spent time in areas of the home, including lounges and the dining areas. This helped us to observe the daily routines and gain an insight into how residents care and support was being managed. We observed staff treated people with respect and provided support or attention as people requested it. One staff member told us, “I have been here for ten years and know the residents are treated very well in all aspects of care.”

People living in the home said they felt that they were safe at Wentworth House. They said staff were approachable and kind and they could talk to them.

We spoke to a range of people about the home. They included, the owner, deputy manager, relatives visiting, people who live at the home and staff. 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 Wentworth House. Comments included, "This is a brilliant home with people running it with years of experience." A member of staff said, "I am not just saying it but I have left previously to work elsewhere, but had to come back as this is the best care home."

Staff spoken to had a good awareness of individual care needs and the importance of

treating people with respect and dignity. We saw evidence of this during our observations during the day and talking to relatives, one said, "They are all so polite to my mother."

None of the people we spoke with had any concerns or issues about the standard of care they were receiving. People told us that they would be comfortable in raising any concerns they may have in the future. A relative spoken to said, "The place runs so smoothly and people are well cared for." A person who lives at the home said to us, "I would know how to raise the alarm if I had any complaints or issues to discuss."

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.