Victoria House provides accommodation and support for up to six adults who are living with a learning disability, autism or who have complex needs associated with their mental health. On the day of the inspection there were four people living at the home.

This inspection took place on 21, 22 and 23 March 2017 and was unannounced.

The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the home. 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 home is run.

Staff displayed a good understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS). People were encouraged to make choices and were involved in the care and support they received. However, some people did not have the mental capacity to make complex decisions about their health and welfare. Where this was the case, people’s records did not always contain an assessment of their capacity. Where decisions had been made in a person’s best interests these were not always being fully documented. This meant we were unable to tell, if decisions were specific, made in consultation with appropriate people such as relatives or being reviewed. We raised this with the registered manager who assured us they would take immediate action to address this. We did not find that people had been disadvantaged or that decisions taken were not in people's best interests.

People told us they were happy and they felt safe living at Victoria House. One person said, “I do feel safe, I like living here.” Another said, “The staff are nice to me and [directors names] are my friends.”

People who used the service told us they knew what keeping safe meant for them and were regularly reminded about what might place them at risk, such as 'stranger danger' or ' mate crime' and how to avoid this. People were protected by staff who knew how to recognise the signs of possible abuse or avoidable harm. Staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and whistleblowing. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how to keep people safe and how and who they would report any concerns to.

Recruitment procedures were robust and records demonstrated the provider had carried out checks to help ensure that staff employed, were suitable to work with people who use care and support services. There was a strong emphasis on training and continuing professional development throughout the organisation. Newly appointed staff undertook a comprehensive induction, shadowed experienced staff, and did not work alone until the registered manager was confident they had the right skills to carry out their role.

People were supported by kind and caring staff who spoke positively and with compassion about the people, they supported. It was clear people had developed good relationships with the staff that supported them. People who were able, told us they had the opportunity to express their views and were actively involved in making decisions about their care and support. People said they made choices every day about what they wanted to do and how they spent their time.

People received their prescribed medicines on time and in a safe way. Medicine stock levels were monitored monthly and the home had appropriate arrangements in place to dispose of unused medicines. People were supported to maintain good health and had regular access to health and social care professionals, such as GPs, dietician, speech and language therapist and care managers.

People were kept safe because risks associated with their support needs; lifestyle choices and environment had been identified and action taken to minimise and reduce the risk of any harm to the individual or others. Where risks had been identified, management plans were developed to he