We carried out an announced inspection of 527 Green Lane on 5 December 2017. This service provides care and support to people living in supported living setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. At the time of the inspection, three people were living at the supported living site. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. This was the first inspection of the service since they registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

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 legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the associated regulations on how the service is managed.

A comprehensive pre-employment check for one staff member had not been carried out to ensure the staff member was fit and suitable to provide care and support to people safely. We made a recommendation in this area.

Risks had been identified and information and processes had been put in place on how to mitigate risks to ensure people received safe care. Staff were aware of how to identify abuse and knew who to report abuse to, both within the organisation and outside the organisation. Medicines were managed safely and people had been receiving their prescribed medicines. Staff told us they had time to provide person centred care and had enough staff to support people. There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Staff had been trained on infection control and knew how to ensure risks of infection were minimised when supporting people.

Staff had received training required to perform their roles effectively. People were cared for by staff who felt supported. Staff had received regular supervisions and told us that they were supported in their role. Staff knew the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Assessments had been carried out using the MCA to determine if people had capacity to make certain decisions. People’s care and support needs were assessed regularly for effective outcomes. The service worked with health professionals if there were concerns about people’s health. Staff could identify the signs people gave when they were not feeling well and knew who to report to.

People told us that they had a positive relationship with staff, that staff were caring and their privacy and dignity were respected. People were involved with making decisions about their care.

Care plans were person centred and detailed people’s preferences, interests and support needs. People knew how to make complaints and staff were aware of how to manage complaints.

Staff told us the culture within the service was open and transparent and told us the service was well-led. People and staff were positive about the registered manager. People’s feedback was sought through regular review meetings and surveys had been recently sent to people and professionals involved in people’s care for feedback.