6 Northumberland Road provides accommodation and support for five people with mental health needs. At our last inspection, the home was rated as Good. At this inspection, the service remained Good.

People using the service felt safe. Any risks associated with their care and support were assessed and measures put in place to ensure they were managed. Medicines were stored safely and administered for those people that required them. Staff shortages in the past had caused some difficulties but had been managed and were being addressed through successful recruitment.

Care and support was effective in meeting people’s needs. There were clear plans in place that had been devised with service users in relation to their mental health needs. People were supported to see health care professionals when necessary. People were able to manage their own meals and buy their food shopping independently but also had some meals together. People discussed what they would like on the menu.

Staff were kind and caring and treated people with respect. This was reflected in our observations and feedback from people using the service. People’s independence was encouraged; when able to, people managed their own medicines and cooked meals for themselves.

People had person centred support plans in place which people’s needs well and were developed in conjunction with the person concerned. People felt able to raise issues and concerns if they had them and we saw that these were responded to.

There was a temporary registered manager in post and plans in place to recruit to the post on a permanent basis. Staff told us they felt well supported and worked well as a team to ensure people’s needs were met. There was an effective system in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and to identify and act upon any shortfalls.

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The inspection took place on 23 September 2015 and was unannounced. The service was last inspected in August 2014 when no breaches of regulation were found.

06 Northumberland Road is a Milestones trust care home. The home is registered to provide personal care to up to five people. People who live at the home have long-term mental health needs.

There was a registered manager for 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 were supported to feel safe in the home and when they were in the community. Risks that people may experience were managed safely. Staff followed approaches which did not unnecessarily restrict peoples freedom or independence.

People told us they felt very well supported by the staff team. The team were well trained to provide effective care.

People said they were very well supported by the staff .People told us they felt relaxed and comfortable in the home. People spoke positively about the staff who supported them. Comments included, “they are marvellous”.

Peoples care records were written in a way that was personalised to each individual. They clearly set out what each person’s unique care and support needs were. Care records included information about people’s likes, interests and people who mattered to them. This helped staff to see each person as a unique individual.

People were supported to take part in activities and interests that they valued in the local community. Staff supported people to build up their confidence and independence to take part in a wide range of activities both in the home and the community.

The registered manager provided effective leadership to people who lived there and to the staff team. Regular house meetings took place so that people were able to be involved in the running of the home.

Staff and the people who lived at the home told us how they felt really well supported by the registered manager. There were quality checking systems in in place to monitor the care and service people received.

This inspection was undertaken by one Adult Social Care Inspector. At the time of the inspection five people were living at the home. The purpose of our inspection was to answer these key questions: Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, the staff supporting them and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

We saw that people who lived at 6 Northumberland Road were treated in a respectful way by the staff who supported them with their needs. We spoke with the five people who used the service. Everyone had positive opinions about what it was like to live at the home. They also had positive views of the way they were treated by the staff.

Risks were being managed in a safe and suitable way. Care records explained how possible risks to people’s safety and wellbeing had been identified. What actions were needed to minimise risks and to keep people safe had also been clearly set out. Staff understood how to assist people so that they took acceptable risks in their life. For example the role of the staff included providing support so that people were able to gain confidence in the community.

People were protected from risks from infection because there were systems in place to ensure that the environment was kept clean and hygienic. Staff received regular training so that they understood how to minimise infection control risks in the home.

Is the service effective?

Every person who we spoke with told us they were being supported with their range of needs by the staff at the home. Examples of the feedback people gave us included “the staff are pretty good they are like a citizens advices bureau”, “I like the male carers” and “I’d like to thank the manager for sorting out my broken bed”.

Staff were effectively supervised in their work which ensured they provided suitable care and assistance that met people’s needs. They attended training courses and learning events about mental health and a range of health and safety matters. They also went on training to understand how to safeguard people from the risks of abuse.

Care plans showed clearly and in detail how to effectively support people with their particular complex mental health needs. They had been devised with the involvement of the person concerned. One person said they spoke to the manager about their care plan regularly to make sure they were in agreement with it.

Is the service caring?

The feedback from every person we spoke with was unanimously positive about the caring attitude of the manager and the staff at the home. Three people we spoke with together told us we should give the manager and the staff ‘10 out of 10’ for their attitude.

Staff were observed communicating with people with a caring and sensitive approach. For example one member of staff spoke with one person who wanted to go to the bank in a sensitive manner.

Is the service responsive?

People told us they spoke with the manager and were able to talk with them about any concerns they had. One person told us “the manager is very good at sorting out things if you have a complaint they know who to ring to sort it out”.

Every person we spoke with also told us that the staff spent time with them regularly to find out how they were feeling. They said staff tried to help them to resolve any concerns they had .

The people who lived at the home told us that regular house meetings were held at the home. They also told us their views were always sought by the staff about the way the home was run. For example we saw that people were regularly consulted about menu plans as well as about suggestions for social activities and outings.

Is the service well-led?

People who used the service had high opinions of the registered manager. One person told us that they were “very caring”. Another person explained that they thought that the manager was “very firm but friendly, very formal and professional”.

There were systems in place to ensure that the quality of care that people received and the overall standards of service were suitable for them. The views of people who lived at the home were regularly sought as part of the process of monitoring quality there.

We spoke with the five people who used the service to find out it was like living at 6 Northumberland Road. We also asked people what they thought of the staff who assisted them at the home.

Every person we met had positive opinions about the quality of care and support they were receiving. One person told us, “I do like it here I’m very happy here”. Examples of the comments people made included, “the staff are good company they are alright to me”, another person told us "the staff all keep in contact with you, they ask how you are".

People who used the service were effectively supported to live a fulfilling life, that also promoted their independence in the community.

People’s care plans and their risk assessment records were informative and they showed how to assist people effectively and safely with their mental health needs. This meant staff had information to use as guidance so to be able to give people the care they required.

People told us they felt confident that if they were not being treated properly they could go to the manager who would immediately address the matter. People were safeguarded as they were assisted by staff who were suitably trained to know how to protect them from abuse.

The staff were supported to undergo further training and development to make them competent to meet people’s needs.

People benefited because there was a system in to quality check the service they were receiving.

We went to review this home following information of concern that we received about the care and support people were receiving at the home. We also followed up on the four compliance actions and one improvement action that were set following the previous inspection of the home.

People told us that they like living at the home and they felt safe.

People were encouraged to act independently within the home. We observed throughout our visit that the home was promoting people’s independence and reducing their reliance on staff.

People who lived at the home were involved in how their support was planned and delivered. One person told us “I have meetings with my key worker to talk about my support."

Staff said that they were supported in their roles; one staff member said “Our manager is very approachable”.

We asked three people if they would tell us about living at the home, one person said they didn’t have anything to say and two others agreed to give feedback about the home.

Both individuals told us the way they kept themselves occupied during the day. One said they preferred to stay in their room and read the paper and watch television. Another said they liked the walking activities they did twice weekly with the staff.

People told us about how they had to prepare for independent living and this included shopping, chores and some meal preparation.

They told us their rooms were “ok”, the staff knew how to meet their needs and the manager had told them how to make a complaint.