This inspection took place on 25 May and 02 June 2016. The visit on 25 May was unannounced and we told the provider we would return on 02 June to complete the inspection. The last inspection of the service took place in December 2013 when we found it was meeting all of the standards we inspected. Martin House is a care home providing residential and nursing care for up to 75 older people, some living with the experience of dementia. When we inspected, 67 people were using the service.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. People using the service may have been at risk of unsafe or inappropriate care as the provider did not follow their recruitment procedures and failed to obtain references for all new staff before they started to work in the service.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
The provider had procedures to safeguard people using the service and staff knew how to use these.
People received the medicines they needed safely.
The provider made sure staff received the training and support they needed to work with people using the service.
People told us they enjoyed the food and drinks provided in the service.
The provider arranged for and supported people to access the healthcare services they needed.
The provider made sure staff received the training and support they needed to work with people using the service.
Staff told us they enjoyed working in the service and would be happy if a relative or friend lived there.
People using the service told us they felt staff treated them well.
Staff interacted with people in a caring and friendly way and explained the care or support they gave people to make sure they understood what was happening.
Each person using the service had a care plan that included an assessment of their health and social care needs.
The provider organised a range of individual and group activities that people enjoyed.
The provider had a policy and procedures for people using the service and others about how to make a complaint.
People using the service, their relatives and care workers told us they felt able to approach the management team and felt valued by them.
Throughout the inspection, the atmosphere in the home was open, welcoming and inclusive.
The provider had systems to monitor the quality of the service that people received and to make improvements.