This inspection took place on 29 August 2017 and was unannounced.

Oak Cottage was first registered in September 2016. It is a residential service which provides accommodation and personal care for a maximum of seven people with complex health and care needs. At the time of the inspection six people were living at the service. The accommodation consists of six self-contained flats with a shared kitchen and lounge and a separate self-contained apartment to the rear of the main building.

A registered manager was in post, but not available at the time of the inspection. 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.

People living at the service and their relatives told us that they felt safe because of the manner in which care was delivered.

Risk to people living at the service was appropriately assessed and recorded in care records. Each of the records that we saw contained a risk matrix to provide staff with an overview of the risk associated with each person.

Staff had been recently trained in adult safeguarding procedures and understood different types of abuse and neglect and what signs to look out for. Staff also knew what action to take if they suspected that abuse was taking place.

Accidents and incidents were recorded in appropriate detail and assessed by the registered manager. The registered manager was required to submit a copy of the information to the provider. However, there was no clear evidence of analysis to establish patterns or trends which might have reduced risk going forward.

The service had sufficient staff to meet the needs of the people living there. Five care staff were deployed between 8:00am and 10:00pm. Staff were recruited safely subject the completion of appropriate checks. This included a requirement for two references and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

The service had a robust approach to safety monitoring and employed contractors to service and check; gas safety, electrical safety and fire equipment. We saw that checks had been completed in each area as required.

People’s medicines were stored and administered in accordance with good practice. Staff received regular training and had their competency assessed by the registered manager. Controlled drugs were stored safely and with one exception, records were completed correctly.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the people living at the service. Staff told us that they were well-supported by the provider. They were given regular formal supervision which was recorded on their staff file.

Applications to deprive people of their liberty had been submitted appropriately and the service operated in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We saw evidence that some decisions had been reviewed and changes made to prevent restrictive practice from continuing unnecessarily.

People living at the service were actively involved in choices about food and drink and had free access to the shared kitchen. Each person also had a well-equipped kitchen in their own flat. We saw that people were supported to shop for and prepare their own food in accordance with their support plans.

People were supported to maintain good health by accessing a range of community healthcare services. We saw evidence in care records that people had a GP, optician and dentist and had regular check-ups.

Throughout the inspection we observed staff interacting with people living at the service in a manner which was knowledgeable, compassionate and caring. People spoke positively about the caring nature of the staff and the positive impact that they had.

The provision of care and support was not task-led. Staff promoted a relaxed and flexible approach t