This inspection visit took place on 20 December 2016 and was unannounced. This was our first inspection of the service since they registered with us.

Barclay House provides accommodation and personal care for people with an acquired brain injury, stroke or other neurological conditions. The service provides care and rehabilitation for people through an outreach service or through short and long-term rehabilitation placements with a view to returning home wherever possible. The service is able to accommodate up to 18 people and is situated close to the centre of Leicester. At the time of our inspection there were 12 people using the service.

The service has 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.

There were good systems and processes in place to keep people safe. Assessments of risk had been undertaken and there were clear instructions for staff on what action to take in order to mitigate them. Staff knew how to recognise the potential signs of abuse and what action to take to keep people safe.

The registered manager made sure there were enough staff to meet people's needs as detailed in their care plans. The registered manager followed the provider's safe recruitment practices. This helped to ensure people were cared for by staff who were suitable for their role.

People were supported to take their medicines safely. However, we found further improvements were needed to the storage and recording of medicines to ensure people's medicines were stored and managed safely.

Staff told us they felt supported in their roles and the registered manager provided staff with clear guidance and leadership. Staff had completed the training and qualifications they needed and we saw they used this knowledge to provide people with safe and effective care.

Staff understood the relevant requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and how it applied to people in their care. People's individuality was at the centre of how their care was delivered. Where people had been assessed as having mental capacity, they were fully involved in making decisions about their care. Where people lacked mental capacity, further work was required to ensure all decisions made were in the person's best interests.

People had their health needs assessed and detailed care plans were put in place to meet their needs. Staff worked with a range of internal and external healthcare professionals to obtain specialist advice and support about people's care. Staff supported people to have sufficient to eat and drink and manage their complex health conditions. This meant that people received support to maintain their health and well-being.

Staff were caring, patient and attentive in their approach to meeting people's needs. Staff knew people well and took time to chat with them and provide assurance.

Staff maintained people's privacy and dignity whilst encouraging them to be as independent as possible. People were involved in making decisions about their own care.

People's care plans were person centred, detailed and written in a way that described their individual care and support needs in detail. There were regularly reviewed and changes made where required. Care plans were accessed by staff and internal health professionals. This meant everyone was clear about how people were to be supported and their personal objectives met. People and those important to them were involved in deciding how they wanted their care to be delivered.

People were able to access a range of therapeutic activities which were provided based on individual aspirations, needs and interests.

The provider had a clear complaints policy which provided people and their relat