Abba Residential Home is a care home for up to five people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection four people were living in the home. 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.

At the last inspection in March 2015 the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People were supported to be safe from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff were knowledgeable about the different types of abuse people might be vulnerable to and how to escalate any concerns they had about people being abused. Care files contained robust risk assessments that had been agreed with people. These ensured people were supported to take risks in a safe way and protected from avoidable harm. The home had a small and stable staff team who had been recruited in a way that ensured they were suitable to work in a care setting. The registered manager told us they would ensure they kept records of staff interviews in the future as they had not been keeping these records appropriately. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way. The registered manager took advice on secondary dispensing of medicines and stopped doing this during the inspection.

People told us staff were good at their jobs. Staff told us and records confirmed, they received the training and support they needed to perform their roles. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive ways possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People consented to their care and staff emphasised the importance of offering people choices. People told us they liked the food at the home. Care plans were updated to include a high level of detail about people’s dietary needs and preferences. People were supported to have their healthcare needs met and to access healthcare services where they needed.

The home had a friendly and homely atmosphere. People and staff had established positive, caring relationships with each other. Observations showed kind and compassionate interactions between people and staff. People were actively involved in making decisions about their care. People told us they felt that staff treated them with respect and they were given private time when they wanted it. Staff were open to supporting people to develop relationships and encouraged people to maintain links with their pasts.

Care plans were updated during the inspection to include a high level of detail about how to support people to meet their needs. Care plans were personalised and reflected individual preferences. People were supported to attend a range of activities and to be part of their local community. People knew how to make complaints and there was a robust complaints policy in place.

People and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. They told us the registered manager was open, approachable, enthusiastic and kind. Staff spoke about the importance of promoting people’s independence and skills which reflected the registered manager’s promotion of the social model of disability. The registered manager completed the required checks to ensure the health and safety of the home. Records of the checks on the quality of the service had not been maintained. We have made one recommendation about quality assurance systems.

Abba Residential Home is a care home for up to five people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection four people were living in the home. 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.

At the last inspection in March 2015 the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People were supported to be safe from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff were knowledgeable about the different types of abuse people might be vulnerable to and how to escalate any concerns they had about people being abused. Care files contained robust risk assessments that had been agreed with people. These ensured people were supported to take risks in a safe way and protected from avoidable harm. The home had a small and stable staff team who had been recruited in a way that ensured they were suitable to work in a care setting. The registered manager told us they would ensure they kept records of staff interviews in the future as they had not been keeping these records appropriately. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way. The registered manager took advice on secondary dispensing of medicines and stopped doing this during the inspection.

People told us staff were good at their jobs. Staff told us and records confirmed, they received the training and support they needed to perform their roles. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive ways possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People consented to their care and staff emphasised the importance of offering people choices. People told us they liked the food at the home. Care plans were updated to include a high level of detail about people’s dietary needs and preferences. People were supported to have their healthcare needs met and to access healthcare services where they needed.

The home had a friendly and homely atmosphere. People and staff had established positive, caring relationships with each other. Observations showed kind and compassionate interactions between people and staff. People were actively involved in making decisions about their care. People told us they felt that staff treated them with respect and they were given private time when they wanted it. Staff were open to supporting people to develop relationships and encouraged people to maintain links with their pasts.

Care plans were updated during the inspection to include a high level of detail about how to support people to meet their needs. Care plans were personalised and reflected individual preferences. People were supported to attend a range of activities and to be part of their local community. People knew how to make complaints and there was a robust complaints policy in place.

People and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. They told us the registered manager was open, approachable, enthusiastic and kind. Staff spoke about the importance of promoting people’s independence and skills which reflected the registered manager’s promotion of the social model of disability. The registered manager completed the required checks to ensure the health and safety of the home. Records of the checks on the quality of the service had not been maintained. We have made one recommendation about quality assurance systems.

People who we spoke to said that the staff were friendly and helpful. One person using the service told us ‘I like it here’. Another person said ‘the staff are very good they treat me well’.

There were effective quality assurance and quality monitoring systems in place; these were used to seek the views of people using the service and to measure success in meeting the aims, objectives and statement of purpose of the home. The home undertook various audits to ensure the quality and safety of the service.

People were supported in promoting their independence and community involvement. People were given opportunities to express their choices and to make decisions in their daily lives. We observed that staff were aware of people's preferences and routines so they could support people in their daily lives. From our own observations we saw staff treated people using the service with dignity and respect.

On the day of the inspection we found two people who use the service and one staff member at the home. We were able to speak to both people who use the service and the staff member. The registered manager was attending a professionals meeting with a third person who lived at this home. We were however able to speak to the manager by telephone. The home was warm and clean and had a very friendly atmosphere.

People who used this service told us that they were very happy and felt that they were respected and involved in all aspects of their care. People also told us they had good access to health care professionals such as doctors, district nurses, dentists and community psychiatric nurses.

People who use the service indicated to us that they felt safe at the home. They told us they had no concerns about their care but would speak with a relative or the staff if they did

People told us that they like living at the home. They like their rooms, the activities they take part in and the staff. They said the food was good and they are supported to take holidays. They said they thought the staff were well trained. People said if they had a complaint they would make it and things would be fixed. A member of staff and the manager told us they like working at the home.