We carried out an unannounced inspection of this care home on 16 and 17 May 2017. The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 38 older people. The home had recently been extensively refurbished and extended to provide accommodation over two floors with lift and stair access to each floor. At the time of our inspection 27 people lived at the home.

A registered manager was 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 supported by staff who had a good understanding of how to keep them safe, identify signs of abuse and report these appropriately. Robust processes to check the suitability of staff to work with people were in place. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet the needs of people and they received appropriate training and support to ensure people were cared for in line with their needs and preferences.

Medicines were administered, stored and ordered in a safe and effective way.

Most risks associated with people’s care were identified and clear plans of care were in place to ensure staff knew how to mitigate these risks. Staff had a very good understanding of the risks associated with people’s care and how to ensure their safety and welfare of people. Incidents and accidents were clearly documented and investigated and work was in progress to review patterns and trends in these events. Actions and learning were identified from these and shared with all staff.

People were able to consent to and make decisions about their care and welfare. Staff had a good understanding of how to be guided by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 when people were not able to make informed decisions about their care.

People received nutritious meals in line with their needs and preferences. Those who required specific dietary requirements for a health need were supported to manage these.

A caring, family environment was promoted throughout the home and people were cared for in a friendly, calm and supportive way in line with their needs and preferences. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained and staff were caring and compassionate. People were encouraged to share their views of the home at meetings and through questionnaires. Staff knew people in the home very well and had a very good understanding of how to meet their individual needs.

Health and social care professionals were involved in the care of people when required and care plans reflected this.

Care plans in place reflected people’s identified needs and most of the associated risks. However for people who lived with some health conditions further information was required in plans of care to ensure staff had access to all the information they may require to monitor a person’s health and wellbeing. A new format of care plans had been introduced to provide clear and concise plans of care in line with people’s needs and preferences.

Effective systems were in place to monitor and evaluate any concerns or complaints received and to ensure learning outcomes or improvements were identified from these; although the home had received no formal complaints in the year previous to our inspection. Staff encouraged people and their relatives to share their concerns and experiences with them.

The registered manager was very visible in the service and provided strong and effective leadership. They promoted an ethos of family life and open and honest communication within the home. Staff felt respected and valued in the home and this was reflected in the way they supported each other and promoted person centred care for people.

A system of audits was in place to ensure the safety and welfare of people. Any actions required from these audits were