The inspection took place on 10 January 2018 and was announced.

Mellor House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Mellor House is registered to accommodate up to eight people who have learning disabilities who require nursing or personal care. The service does not provide nursing care. Accommodation and facilities for people living at Mellor House are situated on the ground floor of the building. The home is situated close to Southend-on-Sea town centre and seafront.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service requires and did have 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.

At our previous inspection in December 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service continues to be Good.

The service was safe. Staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been identified and management plans were in place to mitigate these. Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place which ensured staff suitability for their role. There were enough staff to help keep people safe and meet their care and support needs. There were safe systems in place for receiving, administering and disposing of medicines.

The service was effective. Staff received the training and support that they needed to provide effective care to people living at Mellor House. People were supported to eat and drink enough and to access health and social care services when required. People’s rights were protected because management and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

The service was caring. People were supported by a kind, caring and consistent staff team. Staff knew people well and were sensitive to people’s individual care and support needs. Staff ensured people’s privacy and dignity was respected and maintained at all times.

The service was responsive to people’s individual care and support needs and there was a strong emphasis on person centred care. Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s care and support needs. People were supported by staff to pursue their interests and access activities within the service and in the community. Staff were committed to ensuring people had a very good quality of life.

The service was well-led. The registered manager and staff embraced the provider’s vision and values and enjoyed working at Mellor House. There were systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service provided and people’s relatives and staff working in the service had the opportunity to say how they felt about the home and the service it provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on the 17 December 2015 and was unannounced.

Mellor House provides accommodation and support for up to eight people with a learning disability. On the day of our inspection the service did not have any vacancies. The home does not provide nursing care.

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.

The service provided good care and support to people enabling them to live fulfilled and meaningful lives. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect by staff who knew them well. The registered manager ensured that staff had an understanding of people’s support needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them.

People were cared for by staff that had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been made. Newly recruited staff received an induction. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs.

People were protected against potential abuse as staff had received training and understood their responsibilities to keep people safe.

There were policies in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff were aware of what these meant and the implications for people living at the service. Where people had been deprived of their liberty, applications had been submitted to the local authority for a DoLS authorisation.

Medicines were stored and administered in a safe way.

The registered manager had a number of ways for gathering people’s views. These included surveys, staff meetings and talking with relatives.

There were quality assurance systems in place which assessed and monitored the quality of the service. These included audits on medication management, incidents and accidents and care files.

We found that staff had been well trained and saw that they had a good understanding of people's individual needs. People were treated respectfully, their individuality and diversity understood. People enjoyed good levels of activity and were able to get out and about in the local community.

People using the services families told us that they were very happy with the level of care and activity provided. One person told us, "I could not wish for better," and another that told us that their family member was, "well looked after and loved." People's relatives told us that they had no concerns about how people were treated.

People's families told us that they were happy with the quality of the service provided. We found that the provider consulted with people and families and also monitored the service to ensure that standards would be maintained.

People told us that they were very happy with the care their relatives receive and the service they receive at Mellor House. They told us that they ‘Could not find fault with the home’ and that ‘The care is excellent’.

We found that staff had good understanding of people's individual needs. We saw that people were treated respectfully, their individuality and diversity understood. The interaction we saw between staff and people was relaxed, friendly and supportive.

Staff were supported to carry out their roles and had received a range of training, regular supervision, annual appraisal and attended regular staff meetings.

People enjoyed very good levels of activity and, with staff support, were able to get out and about in the local community.

We saw that people’s care and support was planned and reviewed very regularly. Risks to the health, welfare and safety of the person were identified and managed.

People who used the service families told us that they were satisfied with how their relatives were treated, with the level of care provided and with the activities available. One person told us, "Their relative was well looked after, the service was brilliant and the staff were wonderful." Another told us that their relative was, "Looked after by very pleasant, cheerful staff who were committed to their work."