West View is a privately owned care home that provides care and accommodation for older people who may also have a physical disability, dementia or a visual or hearing impairment. Any nursing needs they have are met through the community nursing service. Personal care is also provided by the organisation. Some people receiving that personal care rent property within the West View home premises and have a separate agreement to receive their personal care. At the time of the inspection 24 people lived at the home. Five people renting were receiving personal care and one person received personal care in the wider community.

At the last inspection in June 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

The service continued to provide safe care to people. One person commented: “The staff keep us safe.” Measures to manage risk were as least restrictive as possible to protect people’s freedom. People’s rights were protected because the service followed the appropriate legal processes. Medicines were safely managed on people’s behalf.

Care files were personalised to reflect people’s personal preferences. Their views and suggestions were taken into account to improve the service. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet, which they enjoyed. Health and social care professionals were regularly involved in people’s care to ensure they received the care and treatment which was right for them.

There were effective staff recruitment and selection processes in place. People received effective care and support from staff who were well trained and competent.

The service was caring and people had built strong relationships with each other and staff. People engaged in a wide variety of activities and spent time in the local community going to specific places of interest.

Staff spoke positively about communication and how the registered manager worked well with them and encouraged their professional development.

A number of methods were used to assess the quality and safety of the service people received and made continuous improvements in response to their findings.

We asked people about the care they received at West View. One person said “I am happy here”. Another person told us “it is absolutely lovely;’ the staff are wonderful, they really are. Anything you want they will help you with. I can’t fault them and neither can anyone I have spoken to”. We asked relatives of five people about the care their family member received. One said “I pop in most days; it is absolutely fantastic I can’t fault it in anyway”. Another relative told us “I have nothing but superlatives to describe the environment and the staff are outstanding”.

One relative we spoke with said “there is no smell of urine here, it is very clean and I can’t praise the home enough”. Another relative said “it is a clean environment”.

People we spoke with told us that they had been able to bring their own possessions with them when they moved to West View. One person said “I was able to bring my own furniture into my room; that was nice too”.

A member of staff said “I have supervision every three months, the manager checks how I am feeling and if I am happy with my work. I feel well supported; I am really happy here. It is a good home and we are very lucky".

We were informed of the completion of an audit of person centred practice within the home. The assistant manager told us “this has been a good process for learning”.

On the day of our visit we were told that there were 28 people living at West View. We spoke to eight people living at the home, three relatives, spent time observing the care people were receiving, spoke to eight members of staff, which included the home's manager, looked at four people’s care files and ten people’s medication records in detail.

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and staff acted in accordance with their wishes.

People we spoke with who lived at the home said that their care and welfare needs were being well met. Comments included: “It’s like the Ritz here with hugs and kisses”; “Nothing is ever too much trouble”; “My needs are met” and “When I need support the staff are always there to assist me.” Visiting relatives commented, “It is wonderful here, so homely. The staff are nice and can never do enough to help people.”

Medicines were safely administered. We saw the medication recording records which were appropriately signed by staff when administering a person’s medication.

We spent time talking to people who lived at West View and on occasions visiting relatives. Comments included: “The staff are lovely, so helpful” and “The staff are fantastic.” We observed that staff were well organised, motivated and competent in their roles.

People were made aware of the complaints system. This was provided in a format that met their needs.

On the day of our visit there were 28 permanent residents living at West View. We spoke with 10 people who lived at West View. Overall they told us that they were very happy with the care and support they received and the staff were polite and easy to communicate with. Comments included:

“Staff are nice and they involve me in my care.”

“Staff are exceptionally nice. If I need anything, they help me.”

“I have lived here for two years, it’s nice. Staff are always helpful. I feel well cared for. Food and everything is nice.”

People commented that they were fully involved and supported to make decisions about their care. For example, plans of care were reviewed with people living at West View and their needs and wishes were taken into account. People said that they were encouraged to maintain their independence and felt fully involved in their care.

People we spoke with who lived at West View said that their care and welfare needs were being well met.

Care plans that we saw reflected people’s health and social care needs and demonstrated that other health and social care professionals were involved.

People we saw and spoke with confirmed that they felt safe and supported by staff at West View and had no concerns of their ability to respond to safeguarding concerns. They felt that their human rights were upheld and respected by staff.

People we spoke to said that staff were supportive and helpful. Staff knew how to respond to specific health and social care needs and were observed to be competent with such. Staff were able to speak confidently about the care practices they delivered and understood how they contributed to people’s health and wellbeing.

People we spoke with confirmed that West View sought their views about the quality of the service they receive and that this information was sought by questionnaires and resident meetings. Questionnaires were also completed by family members involved in people’s care. We were able to see that where improvements were needed they were followed up by the home.

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 8 and 10 June 2015.

We last inspected the home and community service in December 2013 and found no breaches in the regulations we looked at.

West View is a privately owned care home that provides care and accommodation for a maximum of 28 older people. Any nursing need is met through the district nursing service. Personal care is provided by an arm of the organisation called West View Care and Support Services. Some people receiving that personal care rent property within the West View home premises and have a separate agreement to receive their personal care from West View Care and Support Services. At the time of the inspection 24 people lived at the home. Six people received personal care from West View Care and Support Services within West View premises and nine people received personal care in the wider community.

West View care home and community service had a registered manager who is also the provider. 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 using the service, their families, staff and health care professionals told us how pleased they were with the service. A district nurse who visited the home described the care as “Excellent and outstanding.” A GP visiting the home said, “They appear very caring and treat clients as human beings. There is a feeling of warmth and care here.” A person receiving care in the community called the care “Superb”, adding how well their independence was promoted but the help was there when needed.

The registered manager/provider and staff worked hard to find ways to improve people’s lives based on people’s views and observation. Those improvements had included WIFI, a pager system to remove noise from call bells, a hair salon, additional staff over the tea time period and a second vehicle for people’s use. A project to promote person centred care had led to ‘one page profiles’ for people and staff members, so that both could benefit from shared interests.

People were protected through the staffing arrangements; the numbers and deployment of staff, staff recruitment, training, supervision and support. Staff said, “Both the (registered manager/provider) and (the care manager) are very approachable. They have a vision for the home that clients are enabled and empowered to live the life they want here. It inspires all of us.”

People were fully involved in decisions about their care and the staff understood legal requirements to make sure people’s rights were protected.

People enjoyed the food in the home and received a nutritious diet suited to their needs. People’s medicines were handled in a safe way on their behalf. Activities within the home, and shared with some people receiving care in the community, were varied and catered for group and individual interests. Frail people received regular attention from staff who clearly had their best interests at heart. Staff engagement with people was positive and made them feel included and cared for, as evidenced by recognition and smiles.

Safety was promoted through resourcing, servicing and maintenance of equipment, the assessment and management of risk and a quick response to any issues.

The service was innovative, inclusive and based on a vision and values which was promoted by an efficient and committed staff team.