The inspection visit took place on the 14 September 2017 and was announced. As the service is small we gave 48 hours' notice of our inspection. This was because we wanted to ensure people who used the service were available to speak with us. At the time of the inspection there were ten people receiving support.

Park View is a service run by a Christian charity working with people who are risk of offending, or who have offended. The service aims to provide assistance and support for people so they can lead crime-free lives and become contributors to society. Support is provided on a 24-hour basis. The support provided is planned to assist people to increase their daily living skills so they can move on to independent accommodation.

At the last inspection in August 2014 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People told us they had agreed the level of support they required to help them achieve their goals. Care records we viewed confirmed this. Staff were able to explain the support individuals required and the way in which they supported people who used the service.

Detailed risk assessments were in place to ensure risks were identified and minimised. Staff were knowledgeable of these and people who used the service told us they felt safe. Management plans detailed the actions required by staff to minimise identified risk.

Medicines were managed safely. Staff responsible for supporting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required.

We found people had access to healthcare professionals and their healthcare needs were met. People told us they were supported to access further healthcare advice if this was appropriate and they were happy with the care and support provided at Park View.

People who lived at Park View told us they were able to plan their own menus. We found people were able to access the kitchen to prepare their own meals if they wished to do so. Those that did not wish to do so were provided with a choice of meals.

The registered manager completed a range of audits to identify where improvements were required in the quality of the service provided. Staff told us they were informed of the outcomes of these. We found people who received support were empowered to raise their views on the service at Park View. Meetings and surveys took place to enable people to give feedback to the management team.

There was a complaints procedure which was known to people who used the service. People told us they had no complaints, but they were confident the registered manager would respond to any complaints made.

Recruitment checks were carried out to ensure suitable people were employed to work at the service. People spoke highly of the staff employed to support them. They told us they had no concerns with the staffing at the service and they considered staff to be helpful and caring.

People who lived at Park View told us they were encouraged to participate in activities that were important to them. People spoke positively of the way in which their individual areas of interest were supported.

The registered manager demonstrated their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff were able to give examples of how they supported people to make decisions.

This inspection took place on 23 January 2015 and was announced. The registered provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location was a small service for people who are often out during the day; we needed to be sure that some of the people who used the service would be available to speak with.

Park View is registered to provide a personal service to people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder, people who misuse drugs and alcohol or people with mental health difficulties. Park View is a supported living service. Supported living is a way of providing housing and support to help people to lead independent lives.

Care and support is provided twenty four hours a day by staff who work from an office on the premises. Park View is a service run by a national Christian charity, Langley House Trust, which delivers offender rehabilitation services. The service aims to provide assistance and support to enable people to make positive life changes and live life crime-free. Park View has accommodation for ten people. At the time of our visit there were nine people who lived there.

The service consists of two adjacent properties. One property accommodates six people. Each person has their own bedroom and shared communal areas including a lounge, kitchen and dining area. The adjacent property has four self-contained flats. The flats offer people a supported pathway towards living independently.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 who lived at the service gave positive feedback about the service and ultimately confirmed its success by explaining how much it had positively changed their lives.

During our visit we saw that staff had a good relationship with people who lived at the service. People were relaxed and comfortable. People spoke very positively about the service and how staff had made them feel empowered and motivated to succeed in reaching their goals.

The registered manager and staff explored alternative and innovative methods to offer practical solutions to meet people’s support needs. Our observations confirmed there was a strong, visible, open and inclusive culture at the service where staff were fully committed to supporting people to be the best they could be.

People were consistently involved in making decisions about all areas of their support. We saw their individual files included appropriate and thorough risk assessments as well as clear guidance for staff on how to ensure people's safety. Support plans were regularly reviewed to ensure people’s changing needs were met.

Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. People told us they felt safe. The staff team were well trained and had good support from senior managers. They were confident in reporting any concerns about a person’s safety and were competent to deliver the care and support needed by those who used the service.

We looked at how the service was being staffed and reviewed staff training and supervision. We saw there were sufficient staff on each shift with a range of skills and experience. Staff spoken with were positive about their work and confirmed they were supported by the registered manager. Staff received regular training to make sure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.

The registered manager was able to demonstrate that the views of people who used the service and other stakeholders were encouraged and welcomed. We saw a number of examples of changes and developments within the service, which had been made as a result of people’s suggestions and comments.

We found there were good systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided. Staff told us they felt this was underpinned by an open reporting culture and strong leadership.

During our inspection we looked at care and staff recruitment records. We did this to confirm people were being well supported. We also wanted to ensure staff members had been recruited safely to protect the people they support. We spoke with people being supported by the service. They told us they were happy with the service they were receiving. They said the staff members were polite and very professional when undertaking their work. One person said, “The staff are really helping me to get my life back on track. They are supporting me to pursue educational and recreational opportunities. I feel really good about myself at the moment”. Another person said, “I have no concerns or issues with the service. The staff have been there for me when I have needed them. I find them very approachable and easy to talk to”.

During our visit we met a number of people who use the service. We spoke to them about their experiences and they were all very complimentary about the service provided.

People told us that they felt their choices were respected and that they were encouraged to share their views and opinions about their support. One person commented on the weekly meetings he had with his keyworker. He said ‘’It’s a chance to take stock and look at what’s working or what’s not working. It’s all about what we want really.’’

Everyone we spoke with told us that they were very satisfied with the support provided. People spoke highly of staff and said they were confident that staff understood their needs and were able to meet them. ‘’I have made so much progress since I came here and it’s all down to the support they’ve given me,’’ said one person we spoke with.

People also told us that they were consulted about the way the home was run. ‘’We have meetings where we all get together and we can say what we think. They ask us about how we want to spend the activities budget. We decide ourselves.’’

Other comments received included;

‘’They took me into their home and now they look after me.’’

‘’I came to a place where all my worries were answered.‘’

‘’This isn’t just a home it’s our home and it’s a real home.’’

‘’I can’t thank them enough for everything. They are always there when you need them.’’

‘’I feel very safe and comfortable.’’