On the day we inspected there were 16 people at Leigh House all but one were there informally with one person detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. Senior managers advised that due to staffing issues they had reduced their bed numbers temporarily. Recruitment is underway and they hope to be able to open the other four beds soon.

We spoke with four young people using the service, some who were in the Positive Eating Group (PEG) as well as those admitted for general mental health treatment. We also spoke with eight staff, this included nurses, health care support workers and senior staff. We visited the residential unit and looked at the intensive care area.

We observed staff being respectful, asking people if they needed support and assisting when asked. We saw that consent was agreed and capacity had been assessed where necessary. One person said they “really liked it” on the unit and staff were described as being “really nice”.

Staff enjoyed their work and one person said they were “definitely well supported”. One person said they “loved” their job.

Individualised care plans detailed the support and care each person needed. The young people we spoke with confirmed they received the support they needed. They told us the staff were ‘nice’ and ‘always helpful’.

Medicines were managed safely and staff were aware of their responsibilities.

Staff received the training and support appropriate to their role which enabled them to meet needs of the young people using the service.

The quality of the service provided was monitored by an effective quality assurance processes.