Fairwinds is a care home that supports up to 20 adults over the age of 18, who have mental health needs. Nursing care is provided over the two floors of the home – the Darwin unit on the ground floor and the Partridge unit on the first floor. The service is located on the outskirts of Rotherham with local facilities, such as shops and pubs close by. It is also close to good public transport links. At the time of our inspection, there were 18 people using the service.

At the last inspection in December 2014, the service was rated ‘Good’. This inspection took place on 23 May 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the provider did not know we were going to carry out this inspection. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

The home 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.

People who used the service, their relatives and healthcare professionals felt the service was safe. People said they were happy living at the home and relatives and healthcare professionals said they felt people who lived at Fairwinds were kept safe.

People were protected from abuse. The home followed adequate and effective safeguarding procedures. Care records were personalised and contained relevant information to enable staff to provide person-centred care and support. People and their relatives had been involved in care and support planning.

Staff were supported well and received regular supervisions. Where required, staff were given regular training updates. The training matrix was well maintained.

We found good practice in relation to decision making processes at the service, in line with the Mental Capacity code of practice, the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. 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 place supported this practice.

The home was responsive to people’s changing needs and ensured that referrals to healthcare professionals were made in a timely manner.

Activities took place at the home and were well received by people who used the service. Service user meetings enabled people to give their thoughts, opinions and suggestions on activities. People who used the service were actively encouraged and supported to access the wider community. Staff and people who used the service were regularly asked for their thoughts and opinions of the home. Suggestions for improvements were received well and actioned, where possible.

Regular quality monitoring systems were in place and audits were carried out frequently, both by the provider and external agencies. Where areas for improvement had been identified, these were addressed, resolved and signed off when complete.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 4 December 2014 and was unannounced. We last inspected the service in December 2013 when it was found to be compliant with the regulations we assessed.

Fairwinds supports up to 20 younger adults over the age of 18 years old who have mental health needs. Nursing care is also provided. The service is located on the outskirts of Rotherham with local facilities, such as shops and pubs close by. It is also close to good public transport links.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Throughout our inspection we saw staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible while taking into consideration their wishes and any risks associated with their care. The four people who used the service, four relatives and the healthcare professional we spoke with were all complimentary about the care and support provided.

People received their medications in a safe and timely way from senior staff who had been trained to carry out this role.

We saw there was enough skilled and experienced staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Staff had been recruited using a robust system that made sure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. They had received a structured induction and essential training at the beginning of their employment. This had been followed by regular updates and specialist training to increase their knowledge and skills.

We saw people received a well-balanced diet and were involved in choosing what they ate. The people we spoke with said they were very happy with the meals provided. We saw specialist dietary needs had been assessed and catered for.

We found people’s needs had been assessed before they moved into the service and they had been involved in formulating and updating their support plans. The four care files we checked reflected people’s needs and preferences and had been reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

A varied programme was in place to enable people to join in regular activities and stimulation both in-house and in the community. People told us they enjoyed the activities they took part in.

People told us they had no complaints but would feel comfortable speaking to staff if they had any concerns. We saw a complaints policy was available to people using or visiting the service.

There was a system in place to enable people to share their opinion of the service provided and the general facilities available. We also saw a comprehensive audit system had been used to check if company policies had been followed and the premises were safe and well maintained. Where improvements were needed the provider had put action plans in place to address these.

We were unable to gain the views of all the people who were living at the home due to their complex needs. However, we observed how support was provided, reviewed records and spoke with visitors and staff to help us understand people’s experiences.

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. Where people did not have the capacity to make an informed decision a system was in place for appropriate people to be involved in making decisions in their best interest.

People’s comments indicated they received the care and support they needed and they were happy with how staff supported them. We saw people were involved in a variety of social activities in the community and carried out day to day living skills, such as cleaning their rooms.

People had access to well-balanced menus which offered variety and choice. Staff promoted healthy eating and checked people were eating and drinking properly.

People were cared for in a clean, hygienic environment. We saw there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

Background checks had been carried out on staff before they started to work at the home to make sure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

We saw the complaints procedure was available to people who used and visited the service. People told us they had no complaints but felt comfortable taking any concerns to staff.

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received and felt the home was a safe place to live. We saw they were offered choice and staff respected their privacy and dignity while encouraging them to be as independent as possible. One person told us, “It’s nice living here, I go to college to do maths and English and they (the staff) are very understanding.”

People said they had access to a variety of activities and stimulation. They told us they enjoyed massages and pampering sessions in the therapy room and went out into the community for education classes and social events.

No-one raised any concerns with us during our visit. People said they felt confident taking any concerns to the manager or any of the staff. They told us how they were involved in making decisions at the home such as where to go on holiday.