The inspection took place on 7 November 2016. The inspection was announced. This was to ensure the registered manager and staff were available when we visited, to talk with us about the service. The service was last inspected on 28 July 2015, when it was known as ‘Holly House’. We found they were meeting the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations.

The manager had been in post for one year and had been registered with us since July 2016. 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 service is a supported living service which provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. The provider owned one property where people had private tenancies with the provider and shared the building. The provider also rented other properties, where people had private tenancies. At the time of our visit, 7 people received personal care from the service.

People told us they felt safe using the service and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. There were processes to minimise risks associated with people’s care to keep them safe. People's medicines were managed, stored and administered safely.

There were enough suitably trained staff to deliver care and support to people. Staff received an induction and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively.

The registered manager understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and was in the process of working with the local authority to review any deprivation of people’s liberties. Staff respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care. It was not clear on people’s records if they required support to make decisions.

People told us staff were kind and caring and had the right skills to provide the care and support they required. Staff treated people in a way that respected their dignity and promoted their independence.

People were involved in planning how they were cared for and supported. Care was planned to meet people’s individual needs and preferences. People knew how to complain about the service they received. People had fulfilling lives because they were engaged in activities that were meaningful to them.

People felt able to contact the registered manager if they needed to. Staff felt supported and were encouraged to share ideas to make improvements to the service. There were processes to ensure good standards of care were maintained for people, however these were not all effective, because there were inaccuracies on one person’s care plan.