This inspection took place on 8 December 2016 and was unannounced.

Aylestone Grange is a care home which provides support to up to 10 people with mental health conditions. At the time of our visit, 10 men with mental health conditions lived at the home.

The home 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.

The provider had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, however at least one person who lived in the home lacked capacity and was being deprived of their liberty. The registered manager had not applied for a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard for these people before the inspection visit.

Staff and people understood safeguarding policies and procedures. Staff followed people’s individual risk assessments to ensure they minimised any identified risks to people’s health and social care needs. Checks were carried out prior to staff starting work at the service to reduce the risk of employing unsuitable staff.

People who lived at the home had complex mental health needs. There were enough staff on duty to keep people safe, and staff had received training to help them meet people’s needs effectively. People were supported to attend healthcare appointments for both physical and mental health needs as and when necessary.

People were encouraged by staff to improve their living skills and to move towards independent living where possible. Support was provided with cooking, cleaning, laundry and budgeting. People were provided with a choice of meals cooked by staff in the evening.

Staff were motivated to work with people who lived at Aylestone Grange. People and staff enjoyed good relationships with each other which were supportive, friendly, and caring. People and their relatives knew how to complain and both formal and informal complaints were investigated fully.

The registered manager was open and accessible to both people and staff. The provider was a regular visitor to the service and provided the manager with good support. There were sufficient informal and formal monitoring systems in place to ensure quality of service was maintained.