Arliemoor Care Home provides accommodation and support in a rural setting for a maximum of 10 people who have a mental illness. At the time of our inspection there were 10 people living at the service.

At the last inspection in June 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

The service continued to provide safe care to people. One person commented: “The staff keep me safe. I feel safe here.” Measures to manage risk were as least restrictive as possible to protect people’s freedom. People’s rights were protected because the service followed the appropriate legal processes. Medicines were safely managed on people’s behalf.

Care files were personalised to reflect people’s personal preferences. Their views and suggestions were taken into account to improve the service. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet, which they enjoyed. Health and social care professionals were regularly involved in people’s care to ensure they received the care and treatment which was right for them.

There were effective staff recruitment and selection processes in place. People received effective care and support from staff who were well trained and competent.

The service was caring and people had built strong relationships with each other and staff. People engaged in a wide variety of activities and spent time in the local community going to specific places of interest.

Staff spoke positively about communication and how the registered manager worked well with them and encouraged their professional development.

A number of methods were used to assess the quality and safety of the service people received and made continuous improvements in response to their findings.

We met most of the people who used services and talked with the staff on duty and checked the provider's records.

We saw people’s privacy and dignity being respected at all times. We saw and heard staff speak to people in a way that demonstrated a good understanding by staff of people’s choices and preferences.

We saw that people's care records described their needs and how those needs were met. We saw that people's mental capacity was assessed to determine if they were able to make particular decisions.

We saw that medication was administered by suitably qualified staff. People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had made appropriate arrangements to administer and record medication.

During our visit to the home we saw sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of people living in the home. We spoke with most of the staff working during our visit and all agreed that the home had sufficient staff.

We saw that Arliemoor Care Home held all records securely to protect people’s confidentiality.

We inspected Arliemoor Care Home as part of our planned schedule of inspections. The inspection was unannounced, this meant that the manager, staff and people that used the service did not know we were going to visit.

During our inspection there were three people at the home. We spoke with two people who used the service, to the registered manager and two staff. Following the inspection we spoke to a health professional.

We looked at records and the management of medication to determine if the essential standards of quality and safety were being met. We found that improvements to medication management were needed to ensure the service could evidence that people received the medication they were prescribed.

We saw that people's care records provided good information about how people's care and support needs should be met. The records we looked at were detailed and provided staff with the information they needed to support people appropriately.

We spoke with two staff on duty during our inspection. We found that recruitment procedures were robust and staff on duty had a good understanding of the needs of people they supported. Staff had been trained in areas relevant to the needs of people who used the service, but updates for mandatory training had not taken place regularly.

We saw that the provider had procedures in place for managing and investigating complaints. The records we looked at confirmed that any complaints were properly recorded and looked into.

We conducted an unannounced visit to Arliemoor on 20 January 2012 as part of our planned inspection, spending five hours there in total. We met all but one of the eight people who used the service. We spoke with three of them as a group, one individually, and the rest in passing. We looked at the care records of one person. We spoke to four staff and the manager. Following the visit we spoke to one health care professional with knowledge of the home.

Some of people's comments include:

"It can get a bit hectic as there is a lot going on."

"It is very safe here."

"They look after us."

"Arliemoor and the staff are excellent."

People told us about the activities which they had chosen and how care workers helped them with transport and any other support. We observed discussions about how the day could be organised so that each person's needs would be met.

We saw relaxed, friendly interaction between staff and people who used the service and all comments about staff were positive. We found that staff were well supported by an experienced manager, who said that the only rule was that people showed each other mutual respect. People told us how they were "chivvied along" and how staff were there to listen when they needed help. There were many ways in which people were supported to take more control of their lives, such as introducing people to using public transport but ensuring that there were safety measures in place.

We found that people's health care needs were being met and specialist training was provided as necessary. All staff were undertaking training in mental health issues and other training needs were being met.

We saw that individual risk was assessed and measures put in place to reduce risk. One health care professional told us that the care their client was receiving was "top class" and we saw three surveys with similar comments.

This unannounced inspection took place on 11 June 2015. We returned on 15 June 2015 as arranged with the registered manager.

When we last visited on 5 October 2013 we found the service to be complying with the Health and Social Care Act (2008).

Arliemoor Care Home provides accommodation and support, in a rural setting, for a maximum of ten people who have a mental illness. At the time of our inspection there were nine people living at Arliemoor Care Home.

When we visited 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 said they felt safe and staff were able to demonstrate a good understanding of what constituted abuse and how to report if concerns were raised. Risk management was important to ensure people’s safety. Measures to manage risk were as least restrictive as possible to protect people’s freedom. People’s rights were protected because the home followed the appropriate processes.

People received personalised care and support specific to their needs, preferences and diversity. Their views and suggestions were continually taken into account to improve the service to enable it to be the best it could for people receiving care and treatment at Arliemoor. Activities formed an important and integral part of people’s mental health recovery. They were supported to maintain a balanced diet and encouraged to be involved in preparing meals with staff support. Health and social care professionals were regularly involved in people’s care.

Staff relationships with people were strong, caring and supportive. Staff were motivated and inspired to offer care that was kind and compassionate. There was a great emphasis on promoting family togetherness to aid people’s mental health and general sense of belonging to a community. Relatives and health and social care professionals commented on the exemplary service provided to people.

Staffing arrangements, which included recruitment, were flexible in order to meet people’s individual needs. Staff received a range of training and regular support to keep their skills up to date in order to support people appropriately. Staff spoke positively about communication and how the management team worked well with them, encouraged team working and an open culture.

A number of effective methods were used to assess the quality and safety of the service people received.