The inspection took place on 26 September 2017 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection of the service following a change of status of the registered provider from a partnership to a limited company.

Kemps Place is a care home supporting younger people with their mental health. The service can accommodate a maximum of 31 people. At the time of our inspection, there were 26 people receiving support in their own, self-contained flats. There were also shared facilities for people to use if they wished, including a lounge, conservatory area and a kitchen to cater for shared events.

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.

People were supported in a safe way. Staff had guidance about minimising risks for individuals but recognised sometimes risk taking was appropriate as part of people's recovery. People told us that they felt safe with staff and had no concerns about the way they were treated. There were enough staff to support people and they understood the importance of reporting any concerns or suspicions that people were at risk of harm or abuse. Recruitment processes were properly applied and contributed to protecting people from the employment of staff who were not suitable to work in care.

People's medicines were managed in a safe way and they had opportunities to manage some aspects of their medicines when it was agreed as safe for them to do so. Checks on the management of medicines helped to identify where improvements were needed so that the management team could follow them up promptly. If people requested medicine prescribed for occasional use, for example to help with anxiety, staff explored with them the reasons. They checked how people were feeling and whether they could use any alternative strategies for coping which would avoid unnecessary use of medicines.

People received support from staff who were trained and competent to meet their needs. This included training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 so that staff were aware of their obligations to seek consent from people to deliver care. Staff involved people in making decisions about their care and how they wanted to be supported as well as in developing their care plans and goals. When people's needs changed, staff supported and involved them in updating their care plans to reflect their current needs. They also ensured that they supported people to seek professional advice about all aspects of their health and wellbeing.

Staff understood people's needs and preferences, including how people spent their time and what they liked to do. They had developed caring and respectful relationships with people and took people's beliefs, privacy, dignity and independence into account in the way they offered support. People spoke highly of the staff team and the way that staff supported them.

People and staff expressed their confidence in the leadership and management of the service. People were confident that the management team listened to their views, including concerns and complaints, and took them into account in the way the service was delivered. They had informal and formal opportunities to express their views, through residents' meetings, one to one meetings with staff or the registered manager, reviews and quality assurance surveys. Where quality assurance processes highlighted areas for improvement, the management team ensured they took action. This contributed to driving improvements and ensuring people received good quality care.