The inspection took place on 5 September 2016 and was announced.

Box Tree Cottage is a specialist service offering short stay hostel accommodation for up to seventeen males who have either offended or who are at risk of offending. The service is staffed 24 hours and meals are provided on site.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. 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.

Staff received training to protect people from harm and they were knowledgeable about reporting any suspected harm. There were a sufficient number of staff available for operational purposes and recruitment procedures ensured that only staff suitable to work in the caring profession were employed. Risk assessments were in place where risks to people’s health, safety and welfare had been identified and action had been taken to reduce these risks.

The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and staff showed a good knowledge of the people they supported and their capacity to make decisions.

The staff we spoke with were able to describe how individual people preferred their support to be delivered and the importance of treating people with respect.

The support plans we looked at were person centred and were reviewed on a regular basis to make sure they provided accurate and up to date information. The staff we spoke with told us they used the support plans as working documents and the information provided enabled them to carry out their role effectively and in people's best interest.

Medicines were administered by competent and trained staff and people received their medicines as prescribed and in a timely manner.

There was a complaints procedure available which enabled people to raise any concerns or complaints about the support they received.

There was a quality assurance monitoring system in place that was designed to continually monitor and identify shortfalls in service provision. Audit results were analysed for themes and trends and there was evidence learning from incidents took place and appropriate changes were made to procedures or work practices if required.

Members of the senior staff team were accessible and provided staff with leadership and direction. There were clear lines of communication and accountability within the staff team which meant the service was managed effectively and in people’s best interest.

We spoke with two people who used they service. They told us they were happy with the care and support they received from staff. One person said "they meet my needs I am well looked after, the staff are really good." Throughout our visit we saw staff interacted with people in a respectful way and provided people with support where required. We found people had support plans and risk assessments in place. The support plans and risk assessments were accessible to staff and/or the people who used the service.

We saw people's consent was obtained and regularly reviewed throughout their support programme. The provider had appropriate processes in place which ensured people and/or others were protected from the risk of abuse

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We saw people who used the service had their comments and complaints listened to and acted on, without the fear they would be discriminated against for making a complaint. We looked closely at how people spent their time and how staff interacted with people.

All interactions we saw between staff and people who used the service were respectful. We saw people were provided with choices about how they spent their day. We saw people were engaged in activities of their choice, for example one person tended to the garden, while another played chess on a computer in the lounge.