This inspection took place on 16 March 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and registered provider did not know we would be visiting.

Marina Lodge provides care and accommodation for up to 11 people with enduring mental health needs. On the day of our inspection there were eight people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 last inspected the service in November 2014 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and risk assessments were in place. The registered manager understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the administration and storage of medicines.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service and appropriate health and safety checks had been carried out.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people who used the service. The registered provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff.

Staff were suitably trained and received regular supervisions and appraisals.

The registered provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and was following the requirements in the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs. Care records contained evidence of visits to and from external health care specialists.

People who used the service and family members were complimentary about the standard of care at Marina Lodge. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were written in a person centred way.

Activities were arranged for people who used the service based on their likes and interests and to help meet their social needs.

The registered provider had an effective complaints procedure in place and people who used the service were aware of how to make a complaint.

Staff felt supported by the management team. People who used the service, visitors and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service.

This inspection was carried out on 25 November 2014 and was unannounced. At our last visit to Marina Lodge in September 2013 we did not ask for any improvements to be made.

Marina Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for up to 8 younger adults with mental health conditions in single room accommodation. The property had no garden but was situated within walking distance to public gardens. There was on road parking and a small outdoor space.

There was a registered manager at this service who had been registered since 2011 with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

The service was safe and people said that they felt safe.

Staff were recruited safely with appropriate checks carried out to ensure staff were suitable to work in a care setting.

Staff knew how to alert the appropriate person if necessary. Staff had been trained to meet the needs of people who used this service. They were supported by the registered manager and received regular supervision.

We saw that staff were caring and spoke respectfully to people.

People who used the service knew how to make a complaint or raise concerns. They attended meetings with the registered manager where they could discuss any matters that they wished.

There was an effective quality assurance system in place at this service.

This inspection was carried out to determine what action the provider had taken to meet the compliance actions made following the inspection in June 2013.

We found that up to date information was held on an individual's file informing staff how they wanted to be treated when they were ill. We found that staff had all completed training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We observed that staff treated people with dignity and respect at all times during our visit.

People who used the service told us that staff worked with them to achieve their goals. One person was working towards independence and a clear plan had been implemented with their involvement. Several people told us the staff were "Great" and "They always take time to listen"

We saw that each person had a care plan. Each plan was reviewed at an interval determined by the support required by the individual. People were involved in their own care plan and had clearly signed each time it had been reviewed.

We saw that the medication procedures had been changed to ensure people were not at risk of receiving the wrong medication. Staff told us they now administered the medication to each individual in the office, observing that they took the medicine and then filling in the record. The provider had also obtained a controlled drugs (CD) cabinet and a proper CD register. This meant these drugs could be stored securely and an accurate record could be maintained if they were used.

We made observations of the support provided and found that staff were attentive and responsive to people's needs.

We found that people were involved in developing their own care plans and that the home sought their consent to their care and treatment. We saw that the home assessed people's capacity to make decisions. However they had not identified what action they could take when someone did not have the capacity to consent. In one instance they had recorded a relative as having the responsibility to make decisions on behalf of the person receiving support without any legal documentation to support this claim.

The plans did not contain any information about any procedures that staff should follow in the case of a foreseeable emergency situation arising.

We saw that the home assessed people's care needs and developed care plans which were reviewed, with risk assessments in place. This meant that people received the care they needed.

The home did not handle medication in a way that protected people's health and safety.

The home monitored the quality of its service through surveys and internal systems so that improvements could be identified and put in place

We spoke to three of the five people who live at Marina Lodge and they told us they could follow their own routine during the day. They told us that staff often played indoor games with them, talked to them about the level of support they needed and helped them access community facilities. People told us staff always treated them with dignity and respect.

We spoke to a social care and health care professional and they both said that the support people received allowed them to become more independent. They felt the people they were involved with benefitted from the semi - structured environment provided at Marina Lodge.

Staff told us that the manager was supportive of them and provided them with regular supervision. They said that they worked with people who used the services and encouraged them to be independent. Staff could not tell us what they would do if someone reported abuse to them. Staff also told us they tried to ensure that people's dignity and human rights were respected throughout the care planning process.

At this review we did not consult with anyone who used this service. We only spoke with the provider.