The Coach House is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The Coach House provides care and support to up to ten people with mental health needs. The service is part of a converted manor house; with another service run by the same provider organisation in the other part of the building. At the time of our inspection there were nine people being supported by the service.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The service does not have a registered manager. An acting manager had been appointed in January 2018 who was also responsible for the service run by the provider organisation on the same site. They had not commenced the process to register with the 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Why the service is rated Good

People felt safe at the service. Staff had received relevant training on how to safeguard people and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.

Risks to people’s safety and well-being were consistently identified and managed without restricting people’s freedom. Assessments were in place that gave guidance to staff on how individual risks to people could be reduced. Medicines were stored appropriately, managed safely and audits completed.

Relevant pre-employment checks had been completed for all staff and safe recruitment practices followed. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people's needs.

Staff had attended relevant training to undertake their role and spoke positively about the training they were provided. Most staff received regular supervisions and felt supported in their roles; however, staff had not received appraisals.

People told us that staff were friendly and respectful. Staff knew people well and were knowledgeable with regards to people’s support needs, what was important to them and their preferred daily routines. People's privacy and dignity was promoted throughout their support and their consent was gained.

People had their needs assessed and were involved in the planning of how their support would be delivered. Care and support plans and associated risk assessments had been regularly reviewed to ensure that they were reflective of people's current needs.

People were encouraged to provide feedback on the service they received and knew how to make a complaint. People received relevant information regarding the services available to them.

People were not aware who the acting manager was but spoke positively with regards to the team leaders who they considered as the management of the service.

Quality assurance systems were in place and regular audits completed however it was not clear how these were used to develop the service provided.

Staff were encouraged to attend team meetings which were held regularly but did not always feel listened to.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We carried out an unannounced inspection on 30 November and 01 December 2015.

The Coach House provides care and support for up to ten people with mental health needs. At the time of the inspection, there were seven people being supported by the service.

The service has a registered Manager in place. 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.

There were risk assessments in place that gave guidance to staff on how risks to people could be minimised and how to safeguard people from the risk of possible harm.

The provider had effective recruitment processes in place and there were sufficient staff to support people safely although concerns were raised that when the home was at full capacity this would not be sufficient. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and would seek people’s consent before they provided any care or support. Staff received supervision and support, and had been trained to meet people’s individual needs.

People were supported by caring and respectful staff who they felt knew them well. Relatives we spoke with had described the staff as good. People were supported to go into the community and pursue their interests and hobbies and staff took pride in how they assisted people to ‘live their lives’ as they wished.

People had been assessed, and care plans took account of their individual needs, preferences, and choices. Staff supported people to be independent when they were being treated in hospital or by their GP and further supported them to access other health and social care services when required.

The provider had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. They encouraged feedback from people and acted on the comments received to continually improve the quality of the service.The provider also had effective quality monitoring processes in place to ensure that they were meeting the required standards of care.