Lucerne House

People were valued and placed at the heart of the service. Staff promoted people's privacy and dignity and enabled them to make choices and have as much control and independence as possible which helped build meaningful relationships.

Feedback about the service from people, family and linked professionals always mentioned the service in outstanding terms. People said, "The staff here have time for you. They are always relaxed and happy and have time to chat and even banter with you" and, "I can't fault the care here. I know the care I get here, courtesy of the wonderful staff, is of the highest order." Relatives commented, "I feel the care my relative receives is individually suited to their needs, and they are very much treated as an individual"; "The staff keep me very well informed about my relative's condition and what's happening to improve things since they moved here from hospital" and, "I visit my relative daily and without fail, the atmosphere is lovely and all the staff are so friendly and welcoming".

People received effective care and treatment from competent, knowledgeable and skilled staff who had the relevant qualifications to meet people's needs. The provider had a good system to ensure all staff had regular training to keep them up to date with best practice. Training courses and events were relevant to the people living at the service and staff ensured they put learning into practice.

People were assured of their rights being upheld to the maximum level possible. The service applied the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to the full. People were supported to have exceptional choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the training, management, policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Every person bar none were seen as individuals and the staff sought to identify goals and aspirations for each person, so they could live their life to the greatest extent of their ability while at Lucerne House. Every effort was then made to

ensure those goals and aspirations could be realised.

The service was accredited for its care of people living with dementia. Staff were trained to understand dementia and were passionate in ensuring they continued to put this into practice. Each person's individual life and dementia journey was important to staff and was used to inform best interests decisions. The service established relationships with and worked with local groups, including schools and tradespeople, to improve the experience and understanding of people living with dementia. As a result of this carers were also supported.

Activities were provided seven days a week by a passionate and experienced activity team. These offered a wide variety of relevant and meaningful activity both inside and outside of the service. Staff got to know people and ensured activities were enjoyed and meaningful, using past interests.

Medicines were generally managed safely. There were clear processes and systems to ensure they were ordered, stored, disposed of and administered safely. The service worked closely with a local GP to ensure people's medicines were reviewed often to prevent over medication. The mood and pain of people was monitored closely to ensure they were well. This meant people living with dementia with behaviour that may challenge were assessed closely, and other approaches were used, like distraction or meeting pain needs, rather than using medicines to suppress these behaviours.

People had access to plenty of food and drinks throughout the day and there were individualised meals according to their tastes and needs. People told us the food was very good and there was plenty of choice. Meals were appetising and served in a calm and organised manner, creating a sociable and pleasant meal experience.

The service was very well-led. The registered manager, management team and staff were extremely open to hearing feedback on the service and acting to correct anything the inspection team identified, immediately. There was an open, caring culture that was passionate about maintaining their Outstanding rating. Everyone told us, that this culture emanated from the registered manager.

The provider's quality assurance processes were effective and there was a focus on continuous improvement and continuously seeking out ways to offer personalised care. People, relatives and staff all felt valued as individuals and partners in their care and the running of the service. The registered manager provided empowering and very good support for staff to be able to do their job effectively. They, the staff team and the provider, acted to ensure continuous excellent quality care for people living at Lucerne House.