The unannounced inspection took place on 8 June 2017. At the last inspection in April 2015, the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for “Church View” on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’

Church View supports adults with enduring mental health problems. The home can accommodate up to 25 people in three houses, York, Canterbury and The Vicarage. There are accessible well managed gardens. The service is situated in Kimberworth close to local shops and amenities, and is within easy reach of Rotherham town centre.

The people we spoke with who lived at Church View told us they liked living there and felt staff met their needs in a friendly and supportive manner. We saw people were encouraged to be as independent as they were able to be, while staff readily offered support and guidance as needed.

Staff were knowledgeable about how to recognise signs of potential abuse and aware of the reporting procedures. Risks associated with people’s care were identified and actions put in place to help minimise the risk from occurring. This was done in a way that maintained people’s independence.

Recruitment processes helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. At the time of the inspection there was sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Systems were in place to make sure people received their medications safely, which included key staff receiving medication training and regular audits of the system.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff had completed an induction at the beginning of their employment which included undertaking the company’s mandatory training. This was followed by periodic refresher and specialist training to increase and update their skills and knowledge. Staff had also received regular support sessions.

People received a well-balanced diet which was varied and met their needs. They had been consulted about menus, which were flexible and offered choice. The people we spoke with said they were happy with the meals available.

Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of how they respected people’s individuality and ensured their privacy and dignity was maintained. We saw staff took account of people’s individual needs and preferences, while supporting them to be as independent as possible.

People had been encouraged to be involved in the assessment and care planning process. Support plans reflected people’s needs clearly and had been reviewed and updated to reflect their changing needs.

People had access to a varied programme of social activities and stimulation, including access to community social clubs and outings.

There was a system in place to tell people how to raise concerns and how these would be managed. People told us they would raise any concerns with the management team. They said the management team were approachable and listened to their suggestions and ideas.

There were systems in place to assess if the home was operating correctly and people were satisfied with the service provided. This included surveys, meetings and regular audits. Action plans had been put in place to address any areas that needed improving.

Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and had access to policies and procedures to inform and guide them.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 21 April 2015 and was unannounced. The home was previously inspected in November 2013 and the service was meeting the regulations we looked at.

Church View is a care home for younger people with a mental health diagnosis. It can accommodate up to 23 people in three houses. There are accessible well managed gardens. The service is situated in Kimberworth, near Rotherham town centre. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people living at the service.

The home 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. The registered manager was registered as manager for a number of care homes. Therefore as the registered manager was not based full time at Church View there was also an appointed general manager who was based full time at the service with management responsibilities.

People we spoke with were happy with the service. They told us they felt safe staying at the service and the staff were all very kind. One person told us, “It is great here, I feel safe.” Relatives we spoke with were happy with the service provided. One relative said, “Extremely happy with the care and support provided.”

Medicines were stored safely and procedures were in place to ensure medicines were administered safely.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) includes decisions about depriving people of their liberty so that if a person lacks capacity they get the care and treatment they need where there is no less restrictive way of achieving this. The Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) requires providers to submit applications to a ‘Supervisory Body’ for authority to deprive people of, or restrict their liberty. We found all staff we spoke with were very knowledgeable on the requirements of this legislation and had already assessed people who accessed the services to determine if an application was required. The registered manager had sought advice from the local authority and was able to explain when a DoLS would be required.

People’s needs had been identified, and from our observations and talking to people who used the service, we found people’s needs were met by staff who knew them well. Care records we saw were very detailed and clearly explained people’s needs and they were regularly reviewed.

There was a robust recruitment system and all staff had completed an induction. Staff had received formal supervision and had an up to date annual appraisal of their work performance.

There were systems in place for monitoring quality which were effective. Where improvements were needed, these were addressed and followed up to ensure continuous improvement.

The general manager told us they had received one formal complaint in the last year that the registered manager had dealt with. The general manager was aware of how to respond to a complaint if required, information on how to report complaints was clearly displayed in the entrance area. People we spoke with did not raise any complaints or concerns about staying at the service. Staff, people who used the service, and the relatives we spoke with told us the general manager and registered manager were approachable and the service was well led.

People we spoke with told us they liked living at the service. They told us the staff were good and looked after them. One person told us, “The staff are great, you can’t fault this place.”

People also told us that staff treated them with respect, listened to them, gave them choices, made them feel safe and supported them. One person we spoke with said, “We have very good staff and they all look after you well.” Three people we spoke with told us the same thing they said, “I feel safe living here.”

There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection within the home. We observed the environment to be maintained in a clean condition. Some areas were being redecorated at the time of our visit, ensuring standards were maintained.

Staff received appropriate professional development. Staff we spoke with told us they were supported and had access to training opportunities.

There was an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. There was a complaints policy that took account of complaints and comments to improve the service

People we spoke with told us they liked living at Church View saying it was the best care home they had every lived in. They also told us that staff worked very hard and looked after them very well. We were also told that staff respected people’s choices and supported them to be independent as possible.

One person we spoke with told us, “Church View is marvellous, I couldn’t think of any where better to live”. Other people told us that they regularly had residents meetings and they could always go and see the manager at any time if they had any problems.

People also told us that the service was going to have a refurbishment and their bedrooms were to be redecorated. They told us they were looking forward to this.