Autumn Vale Rest Home

Autumn Vale 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. The service is situated on the outskirts of Portsmouth, close to a bus route and local amenities. Autumn Vale can accommodate up to 25 people and there were 21 people living there at the time of our inspection.

We had conducted our previous unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 21 April 2016. Breaches of legal requirements had been found. After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they were going to do to meet legal requirements relating to the safe management of medicines. They also explained what action they were planning to take to ensure they would be able to effectively assess the quality of the service.

Following the full comprehensive inspection, we undertook a focused inspection on 17 July 2017 to check whether the service had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements. We found the service had made significant improvements in the 'safe' and 'well-led' domains.

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 told us they felt safe at Autumn Vale Rest Home. Staff knew the correct procedures to follow if they considered someone was at risk of harm or abuse. They had received appropriate safeguarding training and there were policies and procedures in place to follow in case of an allegation of abuse.

People's safety was promoted as risks that may cause them harm in the service and in the local community had been identified and managed. Appropriate risk assessments were in place to keep people safe. Medicines were managed safely. All staff had received training in the safe management of medicines. The provider had systems in place to store medicines safely.

Procedures in relation to recruitment and retention of staff were robust and ensured only suitable people were employed at the service.

Staff working at the service were suitably qualified and skilled. Staffing numbers and shifts were managed to suit people's needs so that people received their care when they needed and wanted it. Staff had access to information, support and training they needed to provide people with satisfactory care. The provider's training was designed to meet the needs of people using the service. As a result, staff had the knowledge

they required to care for people effectively.

There were policies and procedures in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff were trained in the principles of the MCA and could describe how people were supported to make decisions. Where people did not have the capacity, decisions were made in their best interests.

People's health and well-being were kept under review and staff liaised closely with health and social care professionals to ensure people received all the support they needed.

Care plans were informative and contained clear guidance for staff. They included information about people's routines, personal histories, preferences and any situations which might cause people anxiety or stress. The plans clearly described how staff were supposed to support people in such circumstances.

People were provided with a range of activities which met their individual needs and interests. Staff also supported people to maintain relationships with their relatives and friends.

People knew how to raise concerns and make complaints. Complaints were recorded, investigated and the outcome was fed back to the complainant.

People using the service and staff were very complimentary about the registered manager of the service. People told us that the manager was accessible and approachable. A positive and open culture was promoted at the service. The provider had effective systems in place to review the quality of the service provided.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found