Lime Tree Court Limited

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions of safe, effective and well led to at least good.

Lime Tree Court 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 accommodates 23 people in one adapted building across two separate units, each of which have separate adapted facilities. The units specialise in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service. The service changed ownership on 6 June 2018.

The service is required to have a registered manager to manage the service. 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 and relatives gave positive feedback about the service. People told us that they felt safe because steps had been taken to improve the security of the building, doors leading to the stairs were now locked to prevent accidental falls and they were surrounded by caring staff. One person commented "I feel safe because now they lock the stairs off and people can't get up or fall down them." A relative said, "The atmosphere makes the place feel safe. Lime Trees has what it takes- not an old peoples' place it is a home."

Staff we spoke with understood the importance of treating people as individuals irrespective of their lifestyle or physical and mental abilities. The service had policies and systems to guide staff. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Robust recruitment procedures meant that only suitable staff were appointed. People were supported by suitable numbers of staff who had received training to enable them to provide high quality care. Medicines were managed appropriately people received their medicines as the prescriber intended.

We saw people had a choice of meals and said they had plenty to eat. Food was sourced locally and was cooked fresh on the premises. People who required specific diets were monitored to ensure they consumed adequate nutrients. Snacks and drinks were available throughout the day.

Activities and social events were available for people to avoid social isolation. Families and friends could visit without restriction.

There was a procedure in place to allow people to make comments or raise an issue. Relatives and people told us they knew how to make a complaint if the need arose. The service had systems and processes in place to record and learn from incidents and accidents that identified trends and helped prevent re- occurrence.

People were able to attend outside healthcare visits to ensure their needs were met. The provider had systems in place to ensure the service offered quality care and support. Where issues were highlighted the service took action to enable improvements to be made.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found