This inspection took place on 13 November 2017 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection of the service since they registered with the CQC in November 2016.

4 Sandford Road 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 home accommodates five people in one adapted building. The home specialises in providing care and rehabilitation to adults with mental health needs.

The registered manager stopped working at the home the week prior to our inspection. A deputy project manager and the deputy manager supported the inspection process. However the provider had identified a new manager to run the home. The deputy project manager said the new manager would be applying to the CQC to become the registered manager. 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 safeguarding procedures in place. People using the service and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. There was a whistle-blowing procedure in place and staff said they would use it if they needed to. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure their needs were safely met. Medicines were managed appropriately and people were receiving their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals. The home was clean, free from odours and was appropriately maintained.

Full assessments of people’s care and support needs were carried out by managers before people moved into the home. Staff had completed an induction when they started work and received training relevant to the needs of people using the service. The provider’s ethos was to encourage, empower and rehabilitate people to become independent. Staff felt proud when people moved out of the home into their own accommodation. People told us their independence was encouraged, they ate healthy foods and cooked for themselves. People had access to a GP and other health care professionals when they needed them. The registered manager and staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and acted according to this legislation. People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff treated people in a caring, respectful and dignified manner. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People had been consulted about their care and support needs. People were provided with appropriate information about the home. This ensured they were aware of the standard of care they should expect. People could communicate their needs effectively and could understand information in the current written format provided to them.

People received personalised care that met their needs. People knew about the provider’s complaints procedure and said they would tell staff or the deputy manager if they were unhappy or wanted to make a complaint.. Peoples care plans included a section on diversity that referred to their religion, faith or cultural needs.

There was an out of hours on call system in operation that ensured management support and advice was always available for staff when they needed it. The provider had effective systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. There were regular residents meetings where people were able to expre