This inspection was unannounced and took place on 13 March 2018. The last inspection of Wellesley House took place in December 2015 when we found all the regulations we reviewed were met.

Wellesley 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.

Wellesley House provides support for up to four people who have a learning disability who may at times present behaviour which can be challenging. At the time of our visit, four people were using the service. Wellesley House is a large terraced house located close to the centre of Bury and opposite a local park.

A registered manager was 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 registered manager was also one of the registered providers for the home.

The people who used the service felt safe and there were clear processes in place for safeguarding people from abuse.

The service had a stable team of staff who knew the people living there well.

The service had a positive approach to risk management to support people safely with their choices and preferences where possible.

The property was clean and tidy and systems were in place to ensure the safe handling of medicines.

People were supported to make their own decisions and choices.

Healthy and nutritionally varied menu options were offered and people’s weight was regularly monitored

People’s bedrooms were decorated and personalised to their individual tastes.

The staff team worked closely with other professionals to deliver good quality care.

Staff were caring and had positive relationships and interactions with the people living in the home. We saw staff speak to people with care and dignity.

Care plans and risk assessments were in place, were person-centred and were reviewed.

The people were actively involved in the community including attending college and voluntary work

There were processes in place to ensure regular audits and governance of the service.

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 9 December 2015. The last inspection of Wellesley House took place in June 2014 when we found all the regulations we reviewed were met.

Wellesley House is a care home providing support for up to four people who have a learning disability who may at times present behaviour which can be challenging. At the time of our visit, three people were using the service. A fourth person who had lived at the home for many years had moved to another property with the organisation that had been adapted for them to support their changing physical needs.

Wellesley House is a large terraced house located close to the centre of Bury and opposite a local park.

A registered manager was 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 registered manager was also one of the registered providers for the home.

The people we spoke with told us that they got on well together and they felt safe at the home. People we spoke with said, “I feel safe because I have got staff here. I could talk to any of the staff if I have any worries or concerns.”

We saw that there were recruitment and selection procedures in place to protect people who used the service from coming into contact with staff who were potentially unsuitable to work with vulnerable people. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

People’s medicines were managed well and the home was seen to be clean and tidy throughout. Some maintenance concerns were seen on the day of our inspection visit relating to the roof, which was in the process of being reroofed.

People who used the service had the capacity to make decisions about their day-to-day lives and what they did with their time. Staff we spoke with demonstrated they had an awareness and knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which meant they could support people appropriately to make choices and decisions.

We saw that staff worked hard to ensure people had active and fulfilling lifestyle’s to minimise challenging behaviours with strategies and consistent support approaches by staff.

Staff received the training and supervision they needed to support people safely and effectively.

People told us that the food was, “Nice” and “I like hot curries.” There was a weekly menu in place which showed a varied and balanced diet was available to people.

Arrangements were in place to request health and social care services to help keep people well and advice was sought when needed.

The atmosphere at the home was calm and relaxed. All the people who lived at the home had the capacity to freely express their views and opinions about the service they received. People we spoke with told us they got on well together as a group. One person said, “You won’t get a better home than this. I have been in places before and it was a nightmare.”

We saw that to ensure people’s right to privacy they had keys to their bedrooms and the front door, where appropriate.

People told us they had a range of individual activities that they participated in at the home and in the local community; these included, for example, working as a volunteer in a charity shop, going to college and Gateway.

We found people who used the service were encouraged to maintain their independence, wherever possible.

Systems were in place to regularly assess and monitor the service provided and the provider had notified us of any incidents that occurred as required.

People who used the service and staff reported the providers were approachable and supportive.

Before our inspection visit we contacted the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams. They informed us they had no concerns about the service provided.

People were able to tell us what they were doing in their day to day lives. People were looking forward to and preparing for a holiday abroad in the coming weeks for example buying new clothes and getting prescription sunglasses. People were involved in a wide range of activities, which were planned on a weekly basis. On the day of our visit three people were going with a support worker to do some work at an allotment and a fourth person was going shopping.

People we spoke with told us that they liked the food provided at the home. They also said that they liked to eat out as well or have a takeaway. Some people had successfully lost weight to help promote good health and were supported with portion control.

We looked around parts of the home and found all the areas that we saw to be clean and tidy. There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

Wellesley House is an ordinary house situated close to Bury town centre. There are good transport links into Bury and Manchester. There is a large park opposite with local shops and public houses nearby. We looked around some parts of the home. We saw that the house was comfortable and homely and maintained to a good standard.

We saw that there were frequent and friendly interactions with the support workers on duty and the atmosphere was calm and relaxed. People said that “The staff are great” “I am very happy here” and “The staff are alright they help me.”

One person told us about what they had been doing recently and about their plans for the future. They said that they had been out to Blackpool in their mobility car. They were planning to change the car later in the year and showed us the picture of the one they had chosen.

One person told us about how they had given up smoking after nearly 50 years. They told us that another person had done so as well. They had been supported to attend the no smoking clinic and had used nicotine patches and sprays. They planned to use the money they had saved to go towards a holiday. We saw that another person had lost weight because they had been eating more healthily. They indicated they were pleased about this.

A person we spoke with told us that if they had any worries or concerns they could speak to any of the staff or their family. They said that they were confident that they would be listened to and they would do their best to resolve the problem. We saw people openly giving their views and opinions to staff throughout our visit.

We saw that there were frequent and positive interactions between people living at the home and staff. There was a lot of friendly banter and good humour as well as the use of good manners.

We saw that people living at the home had regular meetings with staff to talk about what they wanted to do. People were encouraged by staff to let them know if they had any ideas about what they would like to do in the future.

We considered all the evidence we gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask: Is the service safe? Is the service caring? Is the service effective? Is the service responsive to people’s needs? Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on speaking with three people who used the service, speaking with the owner, a manager and two staff members who supported them, observation and looking at records.

Is the service safe?

People who lived at the home who we spoke with told us they felt safe at the home. They said they could approach the owner or any staff member if they had any worries or concerns. They were confident they would be listened to and that the problem would be sorted out.

Is the service effective?

People told us that their individual needs, choices and preferences were acted upon and were respected by the staff supporting them.

The staff supporting people told us about what action had been taken when the physical health needs of two people had changed. Records we saw showed that action had been taken to contact the appropriate health care professionals.

Is the service caring?

People we spoke with told us they were very happy living at the home and were complimentary about the care and support they received from the owner and the staff team who supported them.

The majority of the people who lived at the home had done so for a long time. The people we spoke with told us that the group got on well together.

Interactions between people and the staff supporting them were seen to be frequent, friendly and the atmosphere was calm and relaxed. One person said “I’m quite happy. This is the best home I have ever been in.” Another person said, “I love all of it and all the staff”

Is the service responsive to people’s needs?

Some people told us they maintained contact with their families and friends who were regular visitors to the home.

Everyone had the opportunity to go on holiday every year. People told us about the holiday they had been on or were preparing for, which included shopping for new clothes.

One person whose physical needs had changed said “I have had lots of help to get better” and “Everything is getting easier”. We saw that the equipment the person needed to support them to maintain their independence, for example grab rails and pressure relieving equipment was in place.

Is the service well-led?

The home had two owners. One of the owners was also the manager of the home and was registered with us. The other owner was the nominated individual or responsible person. The owner in this report refers to the registered manager.

All the people we spoke with during our visit told us that the owners were very supportive and approachable and they were encouraged to speak with them about any concerns or worries they had.

Support staff said that they felt comfortable to raise any concerns that they had with the owner. They gave us examples of where they had raised concerns and the support they had received. A support worker commented that the owners “Wanted people to have the best care and quality of life”.