This inspection took place on the 31 October 2016 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection since the location had been registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September 2014.

Bowden House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 11 people who may have a learning disability and/or enduring mental health needs. The service is located in a residential area in Sheffield and is set over three floors. Everyone had their own room. At the time of the inspection, there were 10 people living at the service.

The service is required to and did have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

Staff delivered support effectively and care was provided in a way that promoted people's wellbeing and independence, whilst people's safety was ensured. People were involved in writing their support plans and contributing to their risk assessments. Risks to people's safety had been assessed and staff managed risks in line with individual risk assessments. Support plans were regularly reviewed, detailed and organised.

People received their medicines at the right times from qualified staff who monitored people's health satisfactorily.

The registered provider had robust recruitment procedures which ensured, as far as possible, that only people suited to work at the service were employed. Enough staff were deployed to meet the needs of people who used the service and the registered provider was in the process of recruiting new staff. Staff received support through training, supervision and appraisal to be able to meet people’s needs. Additional training was arranged to teach staff how to support people who at times demonstrated behaviour that challenged others.

People told us they felt safe, were well looked after, happy and would inform staff if they were concerned about abuse. Staff knew what abuse was and they had completed safeguarding training, they told us they felt confident to discuss any safeguarding concerns with the general manager. Staff knew what action to take if they suspected abuse and who to report abuse to, such as the local authority safeguarding teams and the general manager.

All accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored by the general manager. The general manager looked for any patterns so they could take action to prevent further incidents.

Plans were in place for emergencies like a fire or a flood and staff knew what to do in the event of an emergency. Safety equipment, electrical appliances and gas safety were all checked regularly. There were regular fire drills and people knew how to leave the building safely.

People living at Bowden House had capacity to make decisions for themselves and staff sought people's consent before supporting them where required. Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the principles if a person lacked capacity.

The CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. These safeguards protect the rights of people using services by ensuring, if there are any restrictions to their freedom and liberty, these have been agreed by the local authority as being required to protect the person from harm. The service was meeting this requirement and there was no one under a DoLS authorisation. People were not restricted from doing what they wanted and went out into the community freely.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff were kind and respectful towards people ensuring privacy and independence was promoted. Staff understood their roles and people were supported in a person centred way. People were helped to identify their own interests and follow them with the assistance of staff if re