The atmosphere at Florence House was friendly and relaxed. Staff understood the people they were supporting, and were respectful and attentive to their needs. People told us that they felt safe and that they were helped to lead as full a life as possible. One person told us, “The staff support me, I can talk to them about my problems and they always try to help me.” A relative told us, “For the first time in 15 years, I feel they are looking forward and beyond their mental health issues.”

People told us they had been involved in decisions about their care. One person told us, “I’m able to have a say about my treatment and I’m listened to.” Another person told us, “I’m with a good doctor now, he listens and explains my medication and other things, he’s a good doctor.” People told us that they regularly discussed their care and what they wanted and did not want with all the professionals involved in their care.

People’s welfare, safety and quality of life were monitored through regular reviews, which checked how people’s support was provided, recorded and reviewed. The feedback we received told us that Florence House worked with local health and social care partners and other services to ensure people accessed the right care, at the right time and in the right place.

During our inspection, we talked to five people living at Florence House. Everyone we met looked well and told us that they felt the staff treated them with respect. One person told us, “I feel able to speak with staff, they never dismiss me and always give me their time and will help me in any way they can.”

People were supported to be involved in all aspects of their life and supported to lead a full a life as possible. Staffing levels were flexible to ensure that there was enough staff to support people to complete activities they wanted to.

People were involved in making decisions about their care. Care plans provided sufficient information to ensure staff had clear guidance and information on how to support people and keep them safe. People were supported to keep well and their weight was regularly checked to ensure any unexplained weight loss or gain could be investigated.

The delivery of ongoing training ensured that staff were appropriately skilled to work with the vulnerable people at the home. One member of support staff had only recently started working at the home. They told us, “I have been really well supported and this is a great place to work.”