Absolute Quality Care

People's experience of using this service: Staff continued to be good at caring for people and demonstrated a visible person-centred culture. People and their relatives were complimentary about the care provided by staff and said they were kind and compassionate.

Privacy was maintained, and people were treated with dignity and respect. There was evidence to show people's independence was maintained. Wishes, preferences and what was important to people were recorded and followed by staff when care was delivered.

There were enough staff to support people and the provider tried to ensure continuity was maintained whenever possible. Safe recruitment procedures continued. Induction and training was provided to ensure staff had appropriate skills. A small number of staff said they sometimes felt undervalued; the provider was looking into this. Although processes were in place for staff to receive support, this had not always occurred formally. We have made a recommendation and will follow this up.

People said they were safe with care staff visiting them and knew how to raise a complaint if needed. Staff could explain how to report any concerns they had. Risks to people had been assessed and staff had a good understanding of these risks and how to minimise them.

Medicines were generally managed well. Issues we found were addressed immediately. The provider was in the process of implementing new procedures and this needed to be embedded.

People's nutritional needs were met, and people were happy with the support they received to enjoy a choice of meals and maintain a healthy diet. Partnership working with other healthcare professionals was proactive and positive.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and were supported in the least restrictive way possible.

People and relatives spoke positively about the provider, staff and the service provided. The provider monitored the quality and safety of the service through regular checks and audits and these were in the process of being reviewed.

The provider remained rated as good overall as they provided good quality care to the people they supported.

For more details, please see the full report below and which is also on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Report published on 6 October 2016).