About the service: Grove Court is a care home that was providing personal and nursing care to 12 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were safe and protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable injuries. People were supported by staff that were trained and received support in their role.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff who knew them well and understood their preferences. People could make choices for themselves and were encouraged to be independent. People’s privacy and dignity was respected.

People received person centred care from staff that understood their preferences and were supported to do things they enjoyed. People were involved in the planning and review of their care.

People’s views were sought and listened to and were used to make improvements to the service.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service and the registered manager identified areas for improvement.

The management team encouraged a positive learning culture and this was promoted with staff.

The service met the characteristics of Good;

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated Good (report published 1 September 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on previous rating.

The inspection took place on 21 July 2016 and was unannounced. Grove Court is a residential home for up to 12 people who have mental health support needs. It comprises 10 rooms, with eight of those being single rooms and two double rooms. One bedroom is separate to the main building. There were 12 people living there at the time of the inspection.

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.

We spoke with people who use the service, the staff that support them and other professionals that have contact with the people who live there.

People we spoke to told us they felt safe. Staff knew how to recognise abuse and knew how to report concerns if they suspected someone was being abused.

Risks to people had been assessed and appropriate actions put in place to minimise the risks. People were supported to take positive risks and accessed the community regularly.

Staffing levels were sufficient to support peoples’ current needs. Recruitment practices meant that appropriate checks were in place to ensure staff were fit to work with vulnerable adults. Staff training and on-going training ensured staff had the skills and knowledge to support people effectively.

People received their medication safely and there were systems in place to store medicines correctly and document administration.

People were encouraged and supported to make their own decisions where possible and staff knew about the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

People’s physical and mental health were monitored and appropriate referrals were made to health services when required.

Staff treated people in a caring manner and people told us they liked the staff.

People were involved in planning their care and making choices. The care plans reflected peoples’ current needs and were regularly reviewed. People were encouraged to partake in activities and access the local community.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service and issues identified were acted upon and resolved.

We saw that the provider gained the consent for care and treatment from people who used the service. We spoke with staff who told us that they respected people’s wishes and had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

We spoke with people who used the service who told us that they were happy with the care and support they received. One person told us, “I like it here, I always feel comfortable”. Another person told us, “It’s good here. I like the staff and I can choose what I want to do”.

We saw that the provider had systems in place that prevented the risk of cross infection. We saw staff used protective equipment during our inspection and staff we spoke with understood the importance of infection control. People we spoke with told us that staff wore gloves and aprons and the service was always kept clean.

We found that the provider had undertaken the necessary checks to ensure that staff employed at the service were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff told us that they had received training to undertake their role.

The provider had an effective complaints system in place. Complaints were investigated and people’s concerns were listened to and acted on. People we spoke with told us they knew how to complain if they needed to.

People told us they were very involved in planning their own care. They said they met regularly with their key worker to discuss their needs and areas they wished to develop.

People were having their physical and mental health care needs met. They were supported to access their GP, had eye and dental checks and received any specialist care they needed. People's mental health needs were identified and plans were in place to respond if they needed extra support to maintain their mental wellbeing.

The provider gave people information about safeguarding issues and what they could do it they felt they were being abused. Staff were trained to identify and respond to any incidents of abuse.

Staff received the training and support to provide people with the support they needed. They completed induction training when they started work and undertake additional formal qualifications to develop and improve their knowledge and skills.

The service had systems in place to review and monitor the care people received. Opportunities were provided for people to express their views both about their individual care and about the whole service.