About the service: Boscobel is residential care home that was providing personal care to 13 people with learning disabilities at the time of the inspection. The service is registered for up to 15 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service met the characteristics of good in all of the five key questions. Therefore, our overall rating for this service is good.

People told us they felt safe and were happy living in the home and effective safeguarding procedures were in place. Staff had a good understanding of abuse and felt confident raising concerns.

We found risk assessments were comprehensive, both environmental and individual risk assessments.

People told us they felt the staffing levels were appropriate and staff were competent. We looked at the recruitment systems in place and saw that appropriate DBS checks and references were undertaken.

Medicines were managed safely and we saw evidence of competency assessments taking place for staff who administered them.

Staff received training in infection control and followed good practice. The communal areas of the home were clean and tidy. We spoke with the registered manager about the need for some additional designated time for cleaning now that the service no longer had a cleaner.

Assessments of people's needs were person-centred and comprehensive. Staff reviewed people's care regularly and appropriate referrals to external services were made.

Staff told us they had an induction and had received appropriate training to confidently carry out their role.

People told us they had a choice of meals and felt involved in the planning of the meals.

People's health and wellbeing was well documented and people experienced positive outcomes.

People told us the home was friendly and had a welcoming feel. We were aware that extensive renovations were required to the premises and these were being implemented.

Staff had appropriate knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and made appropriate Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications. We observed staff gained consent from individuals before supporting them.

Staff were extremely caring and knew the people they supported well. We saw positive interactions between staff and service users, demonstrating warmth, humour and compassion. People were treated with dignity and respect and were encouraged to develop relationships.

People were involved in their support plans which focussed on all aspects of their life and they had access to appropriate activities.

People knew who to speak to if they had a complaint and felt able to express concerns to staff.

The new owner and registered manager had shaped the culture of the service through their person centred value base. Staff were full of praise for the management team and felt well supported by the registered manager who was well liked and respected.

The registered manager carried out audits and accidents and incidents were managed appropriately. The service had an open culture and it was clear that the new owner and registered manager were passionate about raising standards at the service.

Rating at last inspection: The service was registered on 21 March 2018 and this was the service's first planned inspection.

Why we inspected: This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk