Westwood Care Home provides residential care for up to 16 older people, some of who may be living with dementia. Residential accommodation is provided on the ground and first floor in three shared bedrooms and ten single bedrooms. A stair lift is available to the first floor. At the time of this inspection there were 15 people living in the home.

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

People told us they felt safe and well cared for. Staff received safeguarding training and they were confident any issues of concern would be dealt with appropriately.

Staff had been recruited safely and there were enough staff to assist people in a timely way. People’s medicines were managed in a safe way.

Staff were well-trained. People were supported to have 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.

People said they enjoyed good food. They were supported with their nutritional well-being and had access to a range of health services. A visiting healthcare professional said staff always contacted them in a timely way in response to people’s changing care needs.

People and relatives said staff were kind, patient and friendly. They treated people with dignity and respect. People were encouraged to be independent.

People received personalised care. Staff were knowledgeable about each person’s needs and preferences. There was a good range of activities to meet people’s interests. People were encouraged to help staff with daily living tasks such as carpet sweeping, folding laundry and ironing.

People told us the home was well-managed and organised. There was a registered manager who was supported by three team leaders. The registered manager and team leaders carried out checks on the quality and safety of the service. People and staff were asked for their views on a daily basis and their suggestions were used to continuously improve the service.

The service met all relevant fundamental standards we inspect against.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We inspected Westwood Care Home on 7 January 2015 and the inspection was unannounced.

The last inspection of this service was on 13 January 2014 and at that time the home was meeting all the regulations we inspected.

Westwood Care Home provides personal care and accommodation for up to 16 older people, some of who may have dementia care needs. The service is close to the centre of Selby. Bedrooms, toilets and bathrooms are provided on the ground and first floor. There are three shared bedrooms; one is en-suite and ten single bedrooms, one of which is also en-suite. There is a communal dining and lounge area on the ground floor, which leads to a secure outside garden area, which is easily accessible. There is no passenger lift; however a stair lift is available to the first floor. The second floor is for staff access only and has a manager’s office, staff room and toilet.

The home has 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 living at the home, their relatives and staff told us people were safe and well cared for. Staff had been trained on safeguarding and whistle blowing and knew how to recognise and respond to allegations or suspicions of abuse.

There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. We observed staff were attentive to people’s individual needs and knew people very well. Staff were trained to care and support people safely and to a good standard. There were very few changes to the staff team, which helped to ensure people received continuity of care. When new staff were recruited the required checks were done to make sure they were suitable to work in a care home.

People were supported to have their medicines safely and on time.

The home was clean, free of unpleasant odours and generally well maintained.

People who lacked capacity were protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Daily routines were flexible to take account of people’s preferences. There was a varied programme of social activities which included age appropriate games and events. People’s dietary needs and preferences were catered for.

People’s health, care and support needs were assessed and there were care plans in place to show how people were supported to meet their needs. People had regular access to the full range of NHS services. The people we spoke with told us they were involved in discussions about their care and treatment and where necessary relatives and people who knew them well were involved in planning their care too.

People we spoke with said they had no reason to complain about the service. They all said they would not hesitate to speak to the manager if they had any concerns. There had been no formal complaints in the last 12 months. The complaints procedure was up to date and displayed in the entrance hall.

People living in the home, visitors and staff told us the manager was approachable and ‘good at her job.’ The manager told us they were involved in all aspects of the day to day running of the home and encouraged people to talk to them if they had any concerns.

During the inspection we observed the atmosphere in the home was calm, relaxed and welcoming. People who lived in the home looked comfortable and at ease with the staff.

The manager told us there was a lot of informal consultation with people who used the service. Relatives were asked to complete a quality assurance questionnaire once year to share their views about the service.

Audits were carried out to check the quality of the service and identify any shortfalls. This meant that the registered manager and provider monitored the quality of the service being provided and could address any issues promptly and improve the service where necessary.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service including talking to people who lived at the service, staff, visiting relatives, a visiting healthcare professional and observing the care provided. We spent time with people using the service and we saw staff being kind, considerate and supportive to people.

We spoke with two people living at the home and three visiting relatives, they all said they were happy with the care and support provided by the care staff. Comments we received included “All of the staff are approachable.” And “My relative has settled well, has put weight on and looks so well now.”

We looked at people's care records and saw consent had been recorded appropriately.

We saw from people's care plans that people were supported to live as they chose to within their limitations. Staff at the home had carried out an assessment of the needs of each person, and kept this under review, this helped to make sure appropriate care and support was given.

Appropriate arrangements were in place in relation to obtaining, handling, storing and administering medication.

We saw that there was enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs in a timely way. This was confirmed by people we spoke with and by the staff.

There was an effective complaints system available to people and their representatives.

What people told us

We used several different methods to help us understand the experiences of people living there because some people using the service had complex needs and were not able to give us their views. We spoke with three individuals and also observed the way staff spoke with, and generally interacted with some of the other people living there.

Those people we spoke with told us they were happy living at Westwood Care Home. They spoke positively about the staff who worked there, about the way they were treated and about the meals they received.

One person told us that the staff were very kind and they had a happy time there. Another commented. “You couldn’t get better (than this care home). I can’t fault it.” They added “We decide what to do. I’m happy here. I wouldn’t stop if I wasn’t.” They told us they trusted the staff, saying. “They know what they’re doing.”

The third person commented “The staff are marvellous. It’s a lovely home. Everyone’s very nice. I’ve no complaints. I feel very safe here.” They added. “I’m happy with everything that goes off here. Yvonne (the manager) sits and talks with me about the home and how I’m feeling. But I’ve got no complaints.”