This unannounced inspection took place on the 20 September 2016. Orchard View is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to four people, some of whom may have a mental health diagnosis. There were four people living at the home at the time of the inspection.

There was not a registered manager in post, however an application had been received by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and this was being assessed 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 were supported by sufficient numbers of staff that were experienced and supported to carry out their roles to meet the needs of people living at the home. Staff had received on-going training in key areas that enabled them to understand and meet the care needs of people living in the home. Appropriate recruitment procedures were followed and people were protected from receiving unsafe care from care staff unsuited to their role.

People’s care and support needs were regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure that care was provided in the way that they needed. People had detailed individual plans of care in place to guide staff in the delivery of their care and support. People had been involved in developing these plans of care which meant that people received consistent and personalised care and support.

People’s health and well-being was monitored by staff and they were supported to access relevant health professionals. People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink to maintain a balanced diet. People were encouraged where possible to prepare their own meals.

Staff took time to get to know people and ensured that people’s care was tailored to their individual needs. People had the information they needed to make a complaint and the service had processes in place to respond to any complaints.

People were supported by a team of staff that had the managerial guidance and support they needed to carry out their roles. Staff were encouraged to make suggestions about the running of the service. The quality of the service was monitored by the audits regularly carried out by the registered manager and by the provider. There was a clear and shared aim to promote and increase the independence of the people living in the home.

This unannounced inspection took place on 10 and 11 August 2015. Orchard View is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to four people, some of whom may have a mental health diagnosis. There were four people living at the home at the time of this inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Staff received induction and training which enabled them to carry out their jobs effectively. However most of the staff had not benefitted from regular supervision meetings and annual appraisals.

There was a system in place to monitor the quality of the service and some actions had been taken when necessary to make any improvements. However some quality monitoring had not identified issues with the fabric and furnishing of the building.

There had been some challenges in protecting people from the behaviours of others and staff worked effectively to minimise the impact on people living in the home. However people and staff did not always feel safe.

The recruitment practices were thorough and protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work at the service.

Staff were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and the reporting procedures to follow if they wanted to raise any concerns.

People who used the service were looked after by a staff team that had an understanding of how people wanted to be supported. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and to make choices in their day to day life. Staff treated people with dignity and respect.

People were supported to have sufficient to eat and drink to maintain a balanced diet.

The arrangements for social activities, met people’s individual needs. People were enabled to make day to day choices and were supported to follow their hobbies and interests.

The procedures to manage risks associated with the administration of medicines were followed by staff working at the service. There were suitable arrangements for the safe storage, management and disposal of medicines.

Staff had knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legislation; they knew how to make appropriate referrals to restrict people’s liberty and ensured that people’s rights were protected.

Staff understood their role and most of the staff had confidence in the way the service was managed.