The inspection took place on 29 May 2018 and was unannounced. Wisteria House (Plymstock) Dementia Care is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Wisteria House (Plymstock) Dementia Care accommodates up to 20 people in one adapted building. On the day of the inspection 18 people lived at the home.

This is Wisteria House (Plymstock) Dementia Care’s first inspection since they registered with CQC in 2017. The provider’s other service had been rated as outstanding by CQC at their last inspection in 2016 and the provider used their experience to provide outstanding care at Wisteria House (Plymstock) Dementia Care. The home’s website stated, “Wisteria House in Hooe, Plymstock specialises in 'Quality of Life' for elderly people living with a dementia.” The national care homes review website had many positive reviews from relatives of people using the service. Most rated the service as excellent. We saw that people received outstanding care and were supported to have the best quality of life possible.

Wisteria House (Plymstock) Dementia Care had achieved a Level 1 (Level 1 being the highest) Butterfly award in October 2017. The Butterfly award is awarded by “Dementia Care Matters” a leading UK organisation inspiring culture change in dementia care across the UK. This was reported as being highly exceptional as the home had only been open for six months. The report stated, “Wisteria House (Plymstock) Dementia Care is an inspiring reminder that it really is possible to live well with a dementia.” We found this to be the case during our inspection.

There were two full time registered managers covering seven days a week and they worked closely with people, relatives and the staff team. 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. There was a very detailed daily dependency tool which enabled the provider to plan high staffing levels which supported at least weekly outings for people, give staff time to complete paperwork, organise events and further champion role projects which directly benefitted people and families.

People were living a full life and were enjoying the company of the staff. Visitors enjoyed being at the home and stayed for long periods as there was lots to see and do. Relatives’ meetings had further promoted friendships between families of people living with dementia which they said was very supportive. There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere within the service when we arrived, each person engaged with staff, each other and activities. As the day went on people were busy and enjoying a wide selection of activities and interaction from the staff led by a quality of life lead care worker. An allocated staff member was responsible for managing people’s quality of care each day. People were encouraged to live active lives and were supported to participate in community life where possible and build relationships with each other. Activities were meaningful and reflected people’s interests and individual hobbies, including achievable ‘bucket lists’. The environment and the outside spaces had been tailored for people living with dementia to promote their independence.

People, relatives and professionals were very happy with the care the staff provided. Everyone spoke about the staff and the care provided as being; “Amazing”, “A massive family with staff and people as one” and “The best home ever.” They agreed staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs and learning from extensive training supporting the ethos of person