Little Haven is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Little Haven accommodates up to 11 people in one adapted building. The care home specialises in providing care to people living with mental health conditions. This inspection took place on the 7 December 2017.

At the last inspection on 24 September 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection, the service remained Good.

The service has a registered manager. 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 registered provider had established and embedded safeguarding procedures. Staff understood the safeguarding processes to guide them to keep people safe from harm and abuse. Staff knew how to identify abuse and report them to the registered manager and the relevant social care services.

Staff continued to identify risks to people’s health and well-being. Risks to people were managed because these were mitigated which reduced the risk of recurrence.

Medicines continued to be managed in a safe way. Systems for the administration, ordering and storage of medicines continued to be safe for people. Infection control procedures were in place at the service. This reduced the risk of infection to people.

Enough staff were on duty to support people in a safe way. Staff continued to be supported through training, appraisals and supervisions.

People continued to give staff their consent to the care and support they received. Staff understood how to care for people in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards framework to avoid unlawful deprivation of their liberty. People remained able to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Food and drink provided continued to be sufficient to meet people’s choices and nutritional needs. People’s health and well-being needs were managed through health and social care services.

Staff were respectful to people. People told us staff treated them with compassion and kindness and ensured their dignity and privacy continued to be respected.

Assessments continued to be used to ensure people’s needs were identified and recorded and an appropriate plan in place to meet them.

The registered provider maintained a complaints system at the service. People could complain about the care and support they received.

The registered manager continued to provide support to the service. Staff we spoke with were satisfied with their job and the support they received.

The registered manager continued to inform the Care Quality Commission of incidents that occurred at the service. The service continued to be monitored and reviewed to ensure it provided good quality care to people.

This inspection took place on 24 September 2015 and was unannounced. Little Haven Care Home provides accommodation and care to a maximum of 11 people with mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection, there were nine people using the service.

The home had a registered manager. 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 last inspection of the service took place on 18 September 2014 where we found the service was not meeting the regulations relating to the care and welfare of people. We asked the provider to take action to make improvements. They sent us an improvement plan. At this inspection, we found that the provider had made the required improvements.

People received individualised support that met their needs. There were risk management plans in place to ensure that people were protected from risks associated with their care and support. People, their relatives or representatives were involved in planning their care and support to ensure it reflected their needs and preferences; and their views about how their care should be delivered was acted on.

Safeguarding adults from abuse procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff received the training, support and supervision to deliver their roles effectively. Staff understood what to do if people could not make decisions about their care needs as assessments of people’s capacity had been carried out. Staff had received training on the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People consented to their care and support before it was delivered.

People were provided with a choice of food, and were supported to eat when required. People had access to healthcare professionals and were supported effectively to meet their healthcare needs.

Staff treated people with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. People’s privacy and independence was promoted.

People were positively engaged and kept occupied with activities they enjoyed. People were supported to take part in community activities.

People’s complaints and concerns were responded to appropriately and they were encouraged to give feedback about the service they received.

People and staff said the manager was approachable and supportive; and they worked as a team to improve the service provided.

The registered manager and provider carried out regular audits and checks and put actions in place to improve the service.

This inspection was carried out by an inspector who helped to answer our five questions: Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with three of the seven people using the service, their relatives, two of the staff supporting them and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe living at the service. Staffing levels were adequate and staff were trained and competent in their roles. Staff knew how to respond to emergencies and there was support available 24 hours a day. There were contingency plans for people in the event of emergency.

Assessments were undertaken to identify any risks to people who used the service and actions were taken to address them.

Is the service effective?

People were involved in the assessment of their care needs and in developing their support plans. These were tailored to reflect their individual needs and the outcomes they wanted to achieve. There was effective joint working with other health and social care professionals.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by attentive staff. Staff showed patience in the way they supported people. They spoke to people with respect and we saw positive interactions taking place. People told us that staff were nice and kind. People commented that they liked living there and liked the staff. Staff spent time with people and engaged them in activities.

Is the service responsive?

People were regularly offered a range of activities in and outside the service. Staff understood the individual needs of the people who used the service and supported them accordingly. Care plans and risk assessments were reviewed monthly to reflect changes in people’s needs.

Is the service well-led?

There were a range of quality assurance systems to assess and monitor the quality of service provided. The registered manager consulted with people who used the service, their relatives and staff using various methods, such as surveys and meetings to obtain their views on service delivery. The home worked closely with other agencies.