We inspected this service on 17 November 2016. This was an unannounced inspection and was the first inspection of this service under our current inspection process to provide a rating for this service.

The service was registered to provide support and nursing care for up to 37 people who may have a learning disability or mental health condition. There were 34 people living in the home at the time of our inspection. Seven people lived in a cottage adjacent to the main service and were being supported to gain life skills to enable them to live independently.

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.

People were supported by staff who knew how to recognise abuse and how to respond to concerns. Risks in relation to people’s daily life were assessed and planned for, to protect them from harm.

The staff were friendly and professional in their approach and spoke confidently with people. People were happy with the support they received from staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide safe and appropriate care and support. People could make decisions and chose how to spend their time; staff knew how to act if people did not have the capacity to make decisions and where restrictions were placed on people, applications had been made to ensure these were lawful.

Staff ensured that people were supported to maintain their dignity and respected their right to privacy. People were supported by enough staff to ensure they received care and support when they needed it. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. People’s preferences were considered and incorporated into their support plans. There were regular reviews of people’s care to ensure it accurately reflected their needs.

People were supported to eat meals of their choice in a pleasant sociable environment. People’s health and wellbeing was monitored and the support of healthcare professionals was sought whenever specialist advice was required.

People, staff and external professionals were happy with the way the home was managed. People were involved in giving their views on how the service was run and there were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. When people or their relatives raised concerns or complaints there was an investigation followed by a detailed response.

During the inspection we spoke with three members of staff, six people who used the service and the deputy manager. The registered manager was unavailable at the time of the inspection.

We found that the provider had systems in place to gain consent for care and treatment from people who used the service. We observed staff supporting people with decisions in a way that people understood. Staff we spoke with understood their responsibilities with regards to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People we spoke with told us that they were happy with the care provided and staff treated them in a caring way. One person told us, “Staff are good to me”. Another person told us, “Staff help me when I feel upset about things and they (staff) make me feel better”.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of infection because the provider followed guidance to prevent cross contamination. We observed staff wearing aprons and gloves during the inspection.

We found that the provider had an effective recruitment system in place. Appropriate checks had been undertaken by the registered manager which ensured that staff were suitable to provide support to vulnerable people.

The provider had a complaints system in place which was accessible to people who used the service. People told us they knew who to discuss any concerns with if they needed to.

We saw that people who used the service were involved with the planning and reviewing of their care and support needs. Relatives we spoke with told us, "I have always been involved and I am told if their are any issues".

People told us that they had choices in how their care was care was carried out and they were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were aware of the individual needs of the people who used the service and how they preferred the support to be carried out and people were supported to maintain their independence.

We spoke with people who used the service who told us, "I feel safe" and "Staff treat me right". Staff we spoke with understood the procedures to follow if they felt that someone was at risk of harm.

People we spoke with told us that staff were caring and knew what support they needed. Staff had received mandatory training, support and regular supervision/appraisals to ensure that they provide care at the appropriate standards.

The provider had effective systems in place to gain the views of people who used the service and acted upon any suggestions that had been made.