This unannounced inspection took place on 10 August 2017. Woodcross Mental Nursing Home is a home which provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 44 people. At the time of our inspection 39 people lived at the home that had mental health needs.

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.

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood their responsibility to report any concerns about people’s safety. People were supported to manage their risks by staff who were aware of the need to protect people from avoidable harm. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs. The provider recruited staff safely. People received their medicines as prescribed and there were systems in place to ensure medicines were managed and stored safely.

People were supported by staff who received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs. People were asked for their consent before care was provided. People’s capacity to make decisions had been assessed and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act. Staff ensured people had enough food and drink and received support from relevant healthcare professionals when required.

People received support from kind and caring staff. People were encouraged to make their own choices and decisions which were respected by staff. People were supported to maintain their independence and staff supported people in a way that respected their privacy and dignity.

People were involved in the planning and review of their care. Staff were aware of people’s individual preferences and choices in how their care was delivered. Information about changes to people’s care needs was shared with staff to ensure people received support that met their needs. People had access to a wide range of activities and hobbies which met their individual interests. People knew who to contact if they were unhappy about any aspect of their care. The provider had systems in place to manage complaints effectively.

People felt the service was well-led and were happy with the support they received. People and staff felt confident to share their ideas and the registered manager used these to make improvements. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities. There were effective quality audit systems in place to monitor the quality of service people received.

This unannounced inspection took place on 7 June 2016. At our last inspection in January 2014, we found that the provider was meeting the regulations that we assessed.

Woodcross is registered to provide accommodation, nursing or personal care for up to 44 people, who have a mental health condition. At the time of our visit 37 people were using the service.

The manager was registered with us as is required by law. 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.

People told us they felt safe and happy living at the home. Risks to people’s health conditions were assessed to minimise them; staff were aware of people’s individual risks People were supported by adequate numbers of staff however at times staff were very busy. People received their medicines safely and they had their nutritional and health needs meet.

People’s consent was sought before staff provided care. There was a lack of understanding from staff about the Mental Capacity Act and what this meant for people living at the home. Staff were undertaking a variety of training to meet people’s needs. People were relaxed and comfortable around staff and had their dignity and privacy respected. People were supported to be as independent as possible. People had been involved in developing their care plans and were supported to follow their interests and hobbies. People told us if they had any concerns they had been dealt with appropriately.

The registered manager had established quality systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. This included gathering feedback from people who used the service. People and staff felt listened to by the registered manager and found them to be approachable and friendly.

During this inspection we spoke with six members of staff and the home manager who has recently completed his application to register with us. One member of staff told us: “We feel included in decisions. The manager explains why things which would make our lives easier are things you inspectors won’t let us do. We are encouraged to discuss these things”.

Not all of the people who used the service were able to talk with us, however six people were able to tell us about their day. One person told us: “I love the armchair exercises, they make you feel you are exercising”.

Staff understood what safeguarding meant and how to ensure that the people they looked after were protected from the risk of abuse.

We found that the home was clean and tidy throughout with no malodour. Housekeeping staff told us that they were satisfied with the products they used for cleaning.

Staff training records were in the process of being updated. However, we saw evidence that training was up to date. Staff we spoke with confirmed that they received supervisions and one to ones.

There was a complaints procedure in place. We saw throughout the day that an effective informal system was used by the people who used the service.

We spoke with eight people who used the service and three members of staff. We also spoke with one relative. We saw people who used the service come and go to local shops throughout the day. One person told us, “I can go out whenever I want. I just let them know I am going”.

We saw that care plans were personal and individualised. People who lived at the service told us, “It could not be better. It’s so much better than the last place”.

We found the menu had recently been changed and that the format of the menu on display had not yet been finalised. Following lunch one person told us, “That was a lovely bit of dinner”.

We saw that the medication system was electronic, and that there were built in alerts to ensure people got the right amount of medication at the right time.

We saw that the manager carried out suitable assessments to monitor the quality of care given. One visitor told us, “I come and talk to them when I need things explaining or sorting out”.