Windmill House provides accommodation and personal care and support for up to 55 older people. This was an unannounced inspection, which meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting. The inspection took place on the 22 and 25 May 2017.

We last inspected the service in November 2014. There were no concerns found. All bedrooms are single occupancy with ensuites. All areas of the home had been decorated and furbished to a high standard.

There was a registered manager in post. They were also a director of the company. 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.

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

Why the service is rated Good:

People continue to receive a safe service. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and to spend time socialising with them. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People received their medicines safely.

People were protected from the risk of abuse because there were clear procedures in place to recognise and respond to abuse and staff had been trained in how to follow the procedures. Systems were in place to ensure people were safe including checks on the equipment and safe recruitment processes.

People continued to receive effective care because staff had the skills and knowledge required to support them. Staff received training and support that was relevant to their roles. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff. Other health and social care professionals were involved in the care and support of the people living at Windmill House.

People were supported to take part in daily activities. There was a strong emphasis on engagement with people to promote their well-being. People told us the staff responded promptly to their requests for assistance. Systems were in place to ensure that complaints were responded to and, learnt from to improve the service provided.

People told us they had been involved in planning and agreeing to the care provided. We saw that people had an individualised plan, detailing the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided. Staff described how they supported people, which was in accordance with the written care plan and people’s wishes.

People were treated in a dignified, caring manner, which demonstrated that their rights were protected. People confirmed their involvement in decisions about their care. Where people lacked mental capacity, staff ensured people’s rights were protected involving relatives or other professionals in the decision making process.

The service continues to be was well led. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the commitment of the management and staff team. They told us the registered manager was open and approachable. The registered manager and provider had monitoring systems, which enabled them to identify good practices and areas of improvement.

Windmill House provides accommodation and personal care and support for up to 55 older people. This was an unannounced inspection, which meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.  The inspection took place on the 27 November 2014.

We last inspected the service in December 2013. There were no concerns found.  Since the last inspection the home has undergone a full refurbishment which included increasing the occupancy from 37 to 55 people. All bedrooms are single occupancy with ensuites.  All areas of the home had been redecorated and refurbished to a high standard.

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 treated in a dignified, caring manner which demonstrated that their rights were protected. People confirmed their involvement in decisions about their care. Where people lacked mental capacity, staff ensured people’s rights were protected involving relatives or other professionals in the decision making process.

People told us they had been involved in planning and agreeing to the care provided. We saw that people had an individualised plan, detailing the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided. Staff described how they supported people which was in accordance with the written care plan and people’s wishes.

People were supported to take part in daily activities. Sufficient staff were working in the home to meet their care needs and spend time chatting and organising activities. People told us the staff responded promptly to their requests for assistance.

People were protected against abuse because staff had received training on safeguarding adults and they knew what to do if an allegation of abuse was raised. People were observed moving freely around their home.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they were supporting and spoke about them in a caring way. Staff had received suitable training enabling them to deliver safe and effective care. New staff were only appointed once they been through a thorough recruitment process.

The service was well led. There was a team that was supported by a registered manager who worked alongside them. Staff spoke positively about the support and guidance they received from the management of the home.

People told us they were happy living at Windmill House. They said the staff were kind and they were well cared for. The home was bright, clean and comfortable, with a relaxed atmosphere. Comments included, "They are very kind and look after me really well", "I am very happy", I would recommend it to others".

People were asked for their consent before receiving any care and we observed that staff always asked before offering any assistance. Records showed that where people lacked capacity appropriate arrangements were in place.

People's care was assessed and their care plan developed to reflect their assessed needs.

The home had begun to introduce a new system for infection control and the deputy manager was receiving training in this area.

Checks were carried out before new staff were recruited. Staff told us they felt supported in their work and that they received regular training. Comments from staff included, "I love my job" and, "The atmosphere is really good".

The provider had a system in place to monitor the quality of the service and to respond to concerns and complaints.

We found that improvements had been made in the standard of record keeping at the home and the provider had updated people's care plans. A new system of electronic care records was being introduced in the home.

People told us that the staff were "wonderful" and relatives told us that they were pleased with the standard of care. People's preferences were respected and staff supported people to be as independent as possible. There was a relaxed atmosphere within the home.

Staff knew people living at the home well and were able to tell us about individuals, what their care needs were and how they liked their care to be delivered. We saw that staff spoke to people kindly and respectfully and were unhurried in their approach.

People were safe at the home and staff we spoke with told us they knew how to raise any concerns they had.

There were sufficient staff employed for each shift to ensure care needs were met. The staff we spoke with told us they enjoyed their work.

The provider monitored the quality of the service to ensure that people received an appropriate standard of care. However records such as care plans and risk assessments were not always updated to ensure an accurate record was kept of people's care needs.