Fairburn Mews is a purpose built facility offering nursing and residential care for up to 20 people some of whom need mental health care and have complex care needs including personality and psychotic disorders. Some people also have physical needs associated with Huntington’s Disease. On the day of the inspection there were 19 people living in the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There was a registered manager in post although they were on annual leave on the day of the inspection. They were interviewed on their return from leave the following week. 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.

People were supported by knowledgeable and well trained staff who showed competence in all aspects of care delivery. All staff knew what may constitute a safeguarding concern and what action to take if required. Any adverse events, whether safeguarding or accidents, were reviewed in depth and lessons learnt shared with all staff.

The home had a positive risk-taking culture which was supported by robust risk assessments. People’s needs and preferences were considered in all aspects of care delivery and any identified risks were minimised in conjunction with people’s wishes to reduce the risk of harm.

Staffing levels were appropriate to meet the needs of people in the service although it was identified there were pockets of pressure at times due to the complexity of needs and number of staff some people needed for support. This was constantly re-assessed and all shifts were covered.

Medication was administered, stored and recorded safely and in line with best practice.

Supervision and training was available for all staff and we saw progress had been made to incorporate additional specialist topics such as autism and dementia to assist staff further in providing good care.

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 supported this practice.

Nutritional and hydration needs of people were well managed with guidance from speech and language therapists and dieticians closely followed. This was mirrored for any other health or social care needs where regular reviews and advice was sought as needed.

Staff showed compassion and empathy to all people they were supporting, and we observed very positive interactions between people. It was evident staff knew people well and we saw much humour and joviality in the home. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed and very much recognised as people’s home.

Care records provided detailed information for staff to follow and ensured people’s needs were met in the way they wished. They were regularly reviewed and included all aspects of a person’s life. Daily notes were an accurate reflection of care interventions and completed in full.

Activities were well managed with a full range of group and individual opportunities for people to engage with as they wished.

Complaints were managed in a timely manner and resolutions sought to the satisfaction of all parties.

The home had a robust quality assurance process which unpicked every aspect of care delivery, and ensured any shortcomings were addressed promptly and effectively. The actions which had been completed were also reviewed to ensure they were still relevant. This showed a culture of continuous improvement was embedded in the home.

The registered manager provided directional leadership and had a knowledgeable leadership and staff team who echoed the values of the home which were to provide a high quality of life for people promoting their indepen

This inspection took place on 17 March 2015 and was unannounced. At the last inspection in October 2013 and at this inspection we found the provider was meeting the regulations we looked at.

Fairburn Mews is a purpose built facility offering nursing and residential care for up to 20 people. There are two units of ten beds, one for people with Huntington's Disease and the other for people with mental health needs. The service had 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.

At this inspection we found the provider had systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff understood how to keep people safe and knew the people they were supporting well. Overall we found people were protected against the risks associated with medicines but staff competency was not checked in line with the provider’s policy and some guidance was out of date.

Staff demonstrated they knew people well and had a good understanding of their support requirements. People’s needs were assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual care needs. The service met the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty safeguards.

People enjoyed a range of social activities and had good experiences at mealtimes. People received good support that ensured their health care needs were met.

There were enough staff to keep people safe. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place to make sure suitable staff worked with people who used the service. The provider had a programme of training and supervision, and staff felt supported. However, the service provided specialist care but staff had not received specialist training. This could result in people’s specialist needs being overlooked. The provider took prompt action and arranged training following the inspection.

The service had good management and leadership. Effective systems were in place that ensured people received safe quality care. Complaints were investigated and responded to appropriately.

This inspection took place on 17 March 2015 and was unannounced. At the last inspection in October 2013 and at this inspection we found the provider was meeting the regulations we looked at.

Fairburn Mews is a purpose built facility offering nursing and residential care for up to 20 people. There are two units of ten beds, one for people with Huntington's Disease and the other for people with mental health needs. The service had 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.

At this inspection we found the provider had systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff understood how to keep people safe and knew the people they were supporting well. Overall we found people were protected against the risks associated with medicines but staff competency was not checked in line with the provider’s policy and some guidance was out of date.

Staff demonstrated they knew people well and had a good understanding of their support requirements. People’s needs were assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual care needs. The service met the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty safeguards.

People enjoyed a range of social activities and had good experiences at mealtimes. People received good support that ensured their health care needs were met.

There were enough staff to keep people safe. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place to make sure suitable staff worked with people who used the service. The provider had a programme of training and supervision, and staff felt supported. However, the service provided specialist care but staff had not received specialist training. This could result in people’s specialist needs being overlooked. The provider took prompt action and arranged training following the inspection.

The service had good management and leadership. Effective systems were in place that ensured people received safe quality care. Complaints were investigated and responded to appropriately.

Fairburn Mews comprised of two units which provided care for people with Huntington’s Disease and mental health needs.

During the inspection we spoke with one person who used the service, one relative, six staff, a visiting healthcare professional and the home manager. We reviewed three people’s care records and spent time on both units in the home.

We found people’s privacy, dignity and choices were respected and upheld. We saw people were actively supported by staff to lead as fulfilling and active lives as possible.

We found people’s care and welfare needs were met. Care records were personalised, detailed and up to date. One relative told us: “The staff here are very good and caring. My relative is happy here and her family are more than happy”.

We found people were provided with a choice of meals and drinks and people’s nutritional needs were met.

We found there were effective recruitment and selection processes in place.

We found there were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of service people received.

We were unable to talk to people who used the service because they had complex needs as a result of diagnosed Huntington’s disease. We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service including, observing the care provided. We spent time with people and we observed staff being friendly and warm towards people. We observed that staff and people who lived at the service had positive relationships. People appeared relaxed and comfortable with their surroundings; with staff and the activities they were engaged in. We saw that staff supported people to make choices about their daily living.

We spoke with two members of staff who were able to demonstrate a good understanding of the needs of the people who lived at Fairburn Mews. They told us that they were well supported by the management team and there were good opportunities for training.

People able to communicate verbally said staff were very good, responsive to their needs, friendly and kind.

A relative stated felt that staff really cared about their son, they put themselves out for him and would do things in their own time.

They also said staff kept them up to date about their sons problems and involved them in decision making where appropriate

People who used the service said they enjoyed their meals and there was a good choice.