The inspection took place on 21 December 2016 and was unannounced.

Dalmeny House provides accommodation, care and support for up to 11 adults with mental health needs, some of whom may also have a learning difficulty. At the time of our inspection there were nine people living in the home.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 enough staff working in the home to help ensure people's safety. Where there were unexpected staff shortages, staff worked well together, to ensure people's needs continued to be met safely and appropriately. Staff were recruited in a way that ensured proper checks were carried out, which helped ensure only staff who were suitable to work in care services were employed. Staff knew how to recognise different kinds of possible abuse and understood the importance of reporting any concerns or suspicions that people were at risk of harm appropriately. The registered manager also understood their role in addressing any issues.

Risks to people's safety were identified, recorded and reviewed on a regular basis. There was also written guidance for staff to know how to support people to manage these risks. Staff worked closely with healthcare professionals to promote people's welfare and safety. Staff also took prompt action to seek professional advice, and acted upon it, where there were concerns about people's mental or physical health and wellbeing.

People's medicines were stored and administered safely and as the prescriber intended and staff were trained and competent to support people in this area.

People enjoyed their meals and were provided with sufficient quantities of food and drink. People were also able to choose what they had. If people were identified as possibly being at risk of not eating or drinking enough, staff would follow guidance to help promote people's welfare and input would be sought from relevant healthcare professionals.

Staff were trained well and were competent in meeting people's needs. Staff understood people's backgrounds and preferences and supported people effectively. New staff were required to complete a probationary period and induction and all staff received supervisions and appraisals of their work.

Staff understood the importance of helping people to make their own choices regarding their care and support. Staff consistently obtained people’s consent before providing support and, if people lacked capacity to make some decisions, staff understood how to act in people’s best interests to protect their human rights.

Staff had developed respectful, trusting and caring relationships with the people they supported and consistently promoted people’s dignity and privacy. People were able to choose what they wanted to do and when. People were also supported to develop and maintain relationships with their friends and families. People engaged in a number of activities both in and outside of the home and were supported to maintain and enhance their independence as much as possible.

The service was well run and communication between the management team, staff, people living in the home and visitors was frequent and effective. People and their families and friends were able to voice their concerns or make a complaint if needed and were listened to with appropriate responses and action taken where possible.

There were a number of systems in place in order to ensure the quality of the service provided was regularly monitored. Regular audits were carried out in order to identify any areas that needed improvement, which were then acted upon.

Due to the retirement of the previous owners, this organisation was recently purchased by new providers, who have continued to trade as Dalmeny House Limited. Two people we spoke with told us that they had been involved in meetings regarding the change of owners and had known what was happening.

Two of the people we spoke with told us that they enjoyed various activities and said that the home organised weekly trips to the cinema and bowling. Three people we spoke with in the lounge told us how pleased they were that the home had satellite television.

Everybody said all the staff were good and very supportive. One person said: "The staff know us all very well and they know our needs. I sometimes think the staff know us even better than we know ourselves."

One person who lived in Dalmeny House took us on a full tour of the premises and showed us that their room had an en-suite shower, which they said they were really pleased about.

People told us that they weren't permitted to smoke anywhere inside the home but that they had a proper smoking room, which was warm and comfortable.

People also told us that there were always enough staff around when they needed them.

We spoke with three people who lived in the service. They told us that their needs were met and that they were consulted about the care and support that they were provided with. People were complimentary about the staff that cared for them and told us that the staff always treated them with respect and listened to them. They told us that there was always enough staff on duty and that activities were arranged for them to do in the home and in the community. They told us that they felt safe living in the home and that the staff encouraged them to be independent and to do their own cleaning and laundry.

One person we spoke with told us, “It’s a marvellous place to live. If I’d have known then what I know now, I’d have moved here years ago.”

One person’s relative told us, “This home is quite unique. It’s not like other homes, this is so good!” They also said, “Thank God my [relative] is somewhere so good. The care is excellent; Just great. All the staff are on the ball.”

People we spoke with said that the food was always good. One person said, “We can choose what we want if we don’t want what’s on the menu.” This person also said, “I really like the roast dinners and I like chips – it’s all really good.” Another person said, “The chef’s brilliant, can’t beat the food here!”

Two of the people we spoke with told us that they knew what medicines they had been prescribed, what they were for and how and when to take them.

Five staff members told us that they had regular one-to-one time for supervisions and appraisals.

The three people, we spoke with at length, all confirmed that they knew how to make a complaint and felt comfortable talking to the manager, provider or any of the staff. One person told us, “We have meetings if there are any issues but most of the time we just talk.”

One person’s relative told us, “[The provider] is very nice; very approachable, as is the manager and all the staff.” This person also confirmed that they would be comfortable raising any issues or making a complaint if they ever needed to.