A single inspector carried out this inspection. The focus of the inspection was to gather evidence to answer five questions; Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well led?During this inspection we spoke with two people who used the service and one relative of a person who used the service. We also spoke with five members of staff who included the registered manager, senior manager, who was responsible for overseeing the registered manager and care staff.
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.
If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.
Is the service safe?
Two people who used the service told us that they felt safe in the home and that staff treated people with respect and dignity. One person said, 'Staff are marvellous. They are very polite and respectful'. People who used the service told us that they felt safe living in the home.
The home had a safeguarding policy which included guidelines on how staff should respond and act if they suspected abuse was taking place.
We looked at the training records for four members of staff and noted that the records indicated that they had received in-house safeguarding training. When we discussed safeguarding with staff, the majority of staff were aware of the signs of abuse. All staff we spoke with were aware of the action to take when responding to allegations or incidents of abuse and were also aware that they could report allegations to the local authority, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the police.
We saw evidence that necessary employment checks had been carried out to ensure that people were cared for by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.
People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. There was evidence that staff had received appropriate supervision and appraisals which enabled them to perform their work appropriately and ensure people using the service were safe and protected.
We saw that people were able to move around the home freely. We also noted that people living in the home were not subject to continuous supervision and control by staff.
Is the service effective?
People we spoke with said that they were satisfied with the care provided in the home and felt that people's needs had been met. One person said, "Staff listen to me. I like it here'. People were positive about staff and said that they were helpful and listened to them.
We looked at three care files and saw that people's care needs had been assessed and care and treatment were planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. Risk assessments had been carried out where necessary and there was evidence that these were reviewed. Care plans included information about people's preferred routines and healthcare needs.
All the staff we spoke with told us that they were well supported by the registered manager and felt able to ask the registered manager questions. One member of staff said, 'I am very well supported. The staff are friendly and helpful'.
Staff had received appropriate training in various areas to meet the needs of the people living in the home.
Staff, family members, healthcare and social care professionals were involved in decisions about people's care and we saw evidence of this. Relatives of people who used the service told us that they were kept informed about people's progress.
Is the service caring?
People told us that they had been treated with respect and dignity in the home.
During our inspection, we found that people who used the service approached staff without hesitation and people appeared comfortable around members of staff. There was good interaction between staff and people who used the service. People looked well cared for and we saw that the atmosphere in the home was relaxed.
Staff we spoke with said that they were aware that all people should be treated with respect and dignity and were able to give us examples to demonstrate how they ensured this.
Is the service responsive?
People who used the service and a relative we spoke with told us that if they had any concerns or complaints, they would feel comfortable raising them with staff or the management at the home.
We saw that the home had a complaints policy and procedure and we noted that the home had not received any complaints since our last inspection.
People's care and health progress were monitored closely. People's care plans and their health needs were regularly reviewed.
The senior manager confirmed that they completed regular audits which included audits of health and safety, care plans and staff files and we saw evidence of this.
Is the service well-led?
We found that adequate arrangements were in place for monitoring and reviewing the quality of the service provided to people.
At the time of our inspection, the provider did not have a quality assurance policy. Following our inspection, the provider sent us evidence of their quality assurance policy and procedure.
Resident's meetings were held monthly which enabled people to discuss issues regarding the running of the home. This encouraged people to raise queries and concerns with management and members of staff.
Staff meetings were held every two months and we saw evidence to confirm this.
All staff we spoke with told us that they felt able to consult the registered manager if they had concerns or queries and said that they felt supported. Staff were positive about working at the home.