About the service: Freehold Cottage is a residential care home that is registered to provide accommodation, care and support for up to six adults with a mental illness. At the time of this inspection, there were five people living in the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

People who lived in the home benefitted from support from staff who were very caring, understanding of their individual needs and committed to providing high quality care. A staff member told us, “I just want to make sure people feel safe, respected and confident.”

The ethos of the service was ‘Enabling Choice’ and this was clearly evidenced in the approach of all staff. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and to make choices about the support they received.

The registered manager and staff worked in collaboration with community based mental health professionals to ensure people received safe and effective care. People were supported to take positive risks as appropriate to help improve their quality of life.

The service met the characteristics for a rating of good in all the key questions we inspected. Therefore, our overall rating for the service after this inspection remains good.

Rating at last inspection: Good. (Report published 6 August 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained good.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated good or sooner if we receive information of concern.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

We carried out an unannounced inspection at Freehold Cottage Residential Care Home on the 7 and 8 July 2016.

Freehold Cottage is registered to provide accommodation, care and support for up to 6 people with a mental illness. The home is a large detached cottage with a garden area to the rear of the property. The service is located near to the towns of Rochdale, Bury and Bacup.

The service was last inspected in September 2013 and was found compliant in all areas inspected.

At the time of this inspection the registered manager had left 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. However; the provider had ensured an acting manager was in post with oversight from the area manager, until a new registered manager was recruited.

During this inspection we received positive feedback from people who used the service. People expressed satisfaction with the service provided and spoke positively about the staff team supporting them, referring to them as, “Family.” People told us they, “Loved” living at Freehold Cottage and felt they had the freedom to independently live their lives and access the community whenever they wished. We saw evidence of people leaving the service without any restrictions placed on them.

We noted the service had processes and procedures in place to maintain a safe environment for people using the service and for staff and visitors. The service had daily ‘housekeeping’ and health and safety checks which covered areas such as fire exits, electrical/ gas appliances and temperature checks.

Fire audits were in date and compliant. Fire safety checks and fire exercises were carried out monthly and staff had received fire training. The service had clear procedures to follow in case of an emergency.

People using the service told us they felt safe living at the home. Staff showed a good understanding around the various signs and indicators of abuse and were clear about what action they would take if they witnessed or suspected any abusive practice. Training in safeguarding and whistle blowing had been completed by all staff; training was reinforced with the services procedural guidance.

At the time of the inspection we found the service had adequate staffing levels. People we spoke with confirmed this by telling us there was always a staff member present and they were supported when needed. Staff referred to the service as their second home and had time to bake cakes and cook fresh meals. Staff also felt they had adequate time to support people effectively and safely. We observed a good level of staff interaction to support what people were telling us. We looked at a month’s staff rotas which showed a sufficient level of staffing was maintained.

The service operated safe and robust recruitment systems and took appropriate steps to verify people’s previous employment and conduct, identity and any criminal record before being successfully appointed. Thorough induction processes were implemented to ensure the correct amount of training and support was given to new staff. Disciplinary procedures were also in place to support the organisation in taking immediate action against staff in the event of any misconduct or failure to follow company policies and procedures.

The service had processes in place for appropriate and safe administration of medicines. Staff were adequately trained in administering medicines. Medicines were stored safely and in line with current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. NICE provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care.

Care plans were in date and regularly reviewed. They gave clear information about people's needs, wishes, f

During this inspection visit we spoke with three people living in the home and with two members of staff.

We observed staff treating people in a friendly and respectful way. We also observed people being offered choices and supported in a way that respected their privacy and encouraged their independence. People told us they were happy with the support they received. Comments included, “It’s a great place” and “I like living here; I’ve made progress”.

During our visit we found all areas of the home to be bright, safe and comfortable. People told us they were happy with their rooms. Improvements were ongoing and any requests for maintenance or repair were responded to promptly.

People were happy with the staff team and they said there were enough staff to provide them with the support they needed. One person said, "I get on really well with everyone; they are all very nice".

People were given the support they needed to make a comment or complaint. They told us they had no complaints about the service but would raise their concerns with the staff. Comments included, “I would tell the staff if I was unhappy” and “I know they would sort things out if I was unhappy”.

People using the service told us they were happy living at Freehold Cottage. One person said, “It feels like home, I love it here.” Another person said, “I like the staff a lot they respect your privacy and they don’t just go into your room.”

People using the service told us they were satisfied with the care and support they received. Each person had a care plan which clearly explained the care and support they needed in order to ensure their individual needs were met.

We found that people felt confident to express any concerns. Members of staff had access to appropriate policies and procedures and knew the action they must take if abuse was suspected or witnessed.

We noted that training for all members of staff was encouraged in order to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to provide safe and effective care for people using the service.

We found that systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. We saw evidence to demonstrate that people were regularly consulted about all aspects of the care and facilities provided at the home.