The inspection took place on 13 and 19 September 2018 and was announced. The provider was given short notice of our visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to spend time with us. This was the first inspection of the service since its registration with us in June 2017.

Arden Grove is registered to provide personal care to people living in specialist 'extra care' housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. Arden Grove provides accommodation that is rented and is the occupant's own home. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection only looked at people's personal care service.

At Arden Grove there are 33 one bedroom flats. There are also communal lounges and communal kitchens on each floor of the building that people can use if they wish. Other communal facilities include a lift to each floor, laundry and garden.

At the time of this inspection, there were 31 people living at Arden Grove who were supported with personal care.

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.

People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff received training in safeguarding people and understood their responsibility to report any concerns. The provider checked staff were suitable to carry out their role before they started working for the service.

People's care plans explained the risks to their individual health and wellbeing and the actions staff needed to take to support them safely. Processes were in place to review care plans to update information when people’s needs changed so they received the right support. However, we found information about the service people could expect was limited.

Staff were trained how to administer medicines safely and regular medicine audit checks helped to ensure people received their medicines safely consistently.

There were sufficient numbers of trained staff to support people and staff regularly attended supervision meetings with the registered manager to discuss their practice and personal development.

People felt they were supported by staff who genuinely cared for them as individuals. Staff understood people's diverse needs and interests and encouraged them to maintain their independence according to their wishes and abilities. Where needed, people were supported with both meals and drinks to meet their nutritional needs.

People at Arden Grove were living with dementia. There had been some consideration on how to ensure they had maximum choice and control over their lives, but they had experienced some limitations in accessing some areas of the building.

Staff were happy working for the service and felt supported by the management team. They had built positive relationships with people and supported people to access healthcare professionals if needed.

Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and were respectful in their approach to people.

Processes were in place to manage any complaints and we saw when concerns had been raised, they had been promptly responded to.

Some of the records at the service were in need of review as they were not always clear such as, records of complaints. The provider had quality monitoring systems in place that included regular checks that people's needs were met, checks of staff practice and checks to ensure the safety of the building. People were encouraged to share their opinions about the quality of the service during reviews of their care which to