The inspection took place on 24 and 25 October 2016 and was unannounced.

Brandon House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 42 people with mental health needs whose primary needs are for emotional support and care. The service does not provide nursing care. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people using the service.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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. The day-to-day running of the service was carried out by the registered manager with input from the provider on a regular basis.

People were safe because the registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities to recognise abuse and keep people safe. People received safe care that met their assessed needs and staff knew how to manage risk effectively.

There were sufficient staff who had been recruited safely and who had the correct skills and knowledge to provide care and support in ways that people preferred.

The provider had clear systems in place to manage medicines and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely.

People’s health needs were managed effectively with input from relevant health professionals and people had sufficient food and drink that met their individual needs.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which apply to care homes. We found the provider was following the MCA code of practice.

The management team supported staff to provide care that was centred on the person and staff understood their responsibility to treat people as individuals.

People were treated with kindness and respect by staff who understood their needs and preferences. Staff respected people’s choices and took their preferences into account when providing support. People were encouraged to enjoy pastimes and interests of their choice and access the local community so that they were not socially isolated.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and understood their needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected.

There was an open culture and the management team supported staff to provide care that met people’s needs.

The provider had systems in place to check the quality of the service and take the views of people into account to make improvements to the service. There were systems in place for people to raise concerns and there were opportunities available for people to give their feedback about the service.

The registered manager and the provider were visible and actively involved in supporting people and staff. Staff were positive about their roles and their views were valued by the management team.

People told us they were happy living at Brandon House. One person told us ‘It’s a really nice home’. Another person told us ‘Staff are all nice, can talk to any of them, they always have five minutes for you’.

We found that people’s care was individually assessed and was person centred.

We saw the food was well presented and people told us the food was very nice and one person told us ‘They feed you well’.

The environment at Brandon House was homely and people’s bedrooms were decorated to individual preferences. The premises were well maintained and suitable for the service being delivered.

Staff had received regular training, supervision sessions and an annual appraisal. This showed us that suitable arrangements were in place to train and support staff to enable them to provide care to people who lived at Brandon House.

There were systems in place to ensure peoples comments and complaints were listened too and acted on.

We gathered evidence of people’s experiences of the service by talking with people, observing how they spent their time and noting how they interacted with other people living in the home and with staff.

During our inspection we spoke with people who said they liked living at Brandon House. We saw that people spoke confidently with the manager and other members of staff. We noted that people did not hesitate to make staff aware of their needs and wishes. Staff showed a good understanding of people’s needs and preferences and we saw that staff treated people with respect.

One person told us the staff were there when they needed them and “Always listened.”

We saw that there was a festive atmosphere in the home and that people enjoyed musical entertainment and dancing on the day of our inspection. People said they were looking forward to Christmas and they told us that the provider and the manager made sure they received good presents.