This announced inspection took place on 5 July 2016. The service was last inspected in 2013 and the service was found to be compliant with the requirements of the legislation at the time.

Chatterton Hey was a service providing support to men at risk of offending. The service was registered with the Care Quality Commission for accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse and accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care. At the time of inspection, the service was not providing the regulated activity, accommodation for persons who require treatment for substance misuse. The parent company, Langley House Trust, was a Christian organisation dedicated to improving the life chances of ex-offenders and helping them lead crime free lives.

There was a registered manager in place who oversaw the day to day running of 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.

Chatterton Hey was a 15 bed house for males only with 24 hour support on site. The service was located in Edenfield, Lancashire and accepted referrals nationwide. The majority of referrals came from the criminal justice system including the probation service. Others came from forensic mental health inpatient services.

We found that there were enough staff, and that staff were regularly supervised and appraised. Additional training was available to staff. Staff knew when and how to make a safeguarding referral. Staff had a good knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act, and there was a Mental Capacity Act policy for them to refer to if needed. Consent to treatment was recorded in people’s care records. Food was healthy and of good quality, and there was a range of activities available seven days a week.

People described staff as caring and respectful, and we observed positive interactions between people and staff. Care plans contained detailed information specific to each individual. People were consulted about changes to the service, and were involved in recruitment of new staff, The service has strong links with police and probation services. People felt confident about making complaints. Managers and senior managers had a visible presence in the service, and staff morale was good.

People using the service told us they us they received the help and support they needed from members of staff. One person said, “I love it here, the staff are friendly and I can go to them with any problems.”

We saw that suitable arrangements were in place for the safe keeping and handling of medicines.

We found that the home was clean, warm and well maintained. One person said, “I’ve got a lovely room.”

We noted that recruitment procedures were thorough in order to protect people from the employment of unsuitable staff.

We saw that systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. There was evidence to demonstrate that people were involved in making decisions and reviewing the support they received at the home.