We carried out this unannounced inspection on the 6 November 2018. At our last inspection we rated the service good. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Woodlands is a care home that provides care and support for 6 people who are living with mental health conditions. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. There were 5 people living at Woodlands at the time of the inspection and one person was currently in hospital.

There was a registered manager at the service who was present throughout the inspection. 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 were supported by staff who understood the signs of potential abuse and the appropriate steps to take should they have concerns. Whilst the service had managed people’s daily risks well we found one instance where they had not identified safety risks or put plans in place to mitigate these risks. Following the inspection the registered manager advised that this event was being investigated and that procedures would be put in place to minimise the risk of a similar event occurring.

People received support to take their medicines safely by staff who had been assessed as competent to provide this support. Medicines were stored safely and there were systems in place to regularly check that people’s medicines were given as prescribed.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff training had been provided around people’s individual needs including training on mental health conditions. People had their healthcare needs met and were assisted to have foods and drinks they enjoyed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported by a range of healthcare professionals as required to promote their physical and mental health.

Staff demonstrated that they enjoyed their work with the people who lived at the service. We saw people were relaxed around the staff and natural conversations took place throughout the day. People had their independence encouraged and promoted in many aspects of their lives.

People were involved in planning daily aspects of their care to ensure it met their individual needs. Formal reviews of people’s care took place to ensure the care provided continued to meet their needs. Many people had a full and active life and took part in activities that were of interest to them.

People were involved in monitoring the quality of the service. The provider had monitoring systems in place to ensure the service continued to be safe and of a good quality in line with people’s needs and wishes.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We inspected this home on 28 April 2016. This was an unannounced Inspection. The home was registered to provide residential care and accommodation for up to six people who have mental health needs. At the time of our inspection five people were living at the home and one person was in hospital. We last inspected this home in December 2013 and found it was meeting the regulations.

A registered manager was in post but they had recently moved to manage another location on a temporary basis. A temporary manager had been appointed to cover their absence. 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.

Two people using this service told us they felt safe, one person told us they had experienced some behaviours from another person that had at times made them feel unsafe. These incidents had been reported to the local authority by the registered manager and risk assessments put in place to help reduce the likelihood of similar occurences. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to protect people from the risk of potential harm. Staff were aware of the provider’s processes for reporting any concerns. There were enough staff to support people safely and recruitment checks were in place to help ensure staff that were employed were safe to work with people.

We found that staff were trained to support people effectively and received opportunities to further develop their skills. Staff told us that they received regular supervision and that senior staff were always available for them to seek advice and guidance.

People had access to a variety of food and drink which they enjoyed. People were supported when necessary to access a range of health care professionals.

We observed staff seeking people’s consent before providing any care and support. Staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). These provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

People we spoke with told us that staff were caring and kind towards them. We saw and people told us they felt involved in decisions about how they were communicated with and cared for. People told us they were encouraged to remain as independent as possible by staff. We observed staff ensuring people’s privacy and dignity was maintained.

Processes were in place which supported people to express their opinions in developing their care plans. People knew how to raise complaints. Where complaints had been raised the registered manager had taken prompt and appropriate action.

Staff understood the needs of the people they supported. We saw that staff communicated well with each other and spoke highly of the management and leadership they received. There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the home and to improve the life for people at the home.

We met four of the six people who live at Woodlands. People gave us positive feedback about the home. One person told us, “It’s really good here, the staff are all okay, they talk to me.” Another person told us, “I’ve been happy enough here.” We found that people were being encouraged as much as possible to develop independent living skills. We found each person's care and support was based upon their wishes or what they were able to do for themselves.

There were satisfactory arrangements for the storage and administration of medication.

We found staff had been provided with the training and support they needed to undertake their role.

There were systems for making sure the high standards in this home were maintained, including using feedback from people in the home, their relatives and professional visitors.

We noted that there was a new manager in post however they were not registered. The provider is aware of the need to formally apply for this person to become a registered manager in accordance with the relevant legislation.

We met three of the six people who live at Woodlands. People gave us very positive feedback about the home including, "I do like it here-people help me a lot". Feedback from one relative was, "This service is phenomenal. I can't thank them enough for all they do."

We found that people were being encouraged as much as possible to develop independent living skills. We found each person's care and support was based upon their wishes or what they were able to do for themselves.

People were encouraged to see healthcare professionals and to stay clean and healthy. We found that each person had been involved in developing a plan about how they would like to do this. Over time we could see how people's abilities had improved and their plans had been adjusted to reflect this.

People told us they felt safe living at Woodlands. One person said, " I do feel happy and safe here." One visitor told us they had never felt worried for their relatives safety or welfare while they had lived at Woodlands. We found that systems to help keep people safe were all well established.

The staff team were settled. We found staff had been provided with the training and support they needed to undertake their role. People and their relatives praised the staff and their comments included, "Staff are supportive and understanding", "Staff have a good way of helping me."

There were systems in place to check health and safety to ensure Woodlands was a safe and comfortable place to live.