This comprehensive unannounced inspection was carried out on the 27 and 30 November 2018.

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2017 when it changed ownership.

The service is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

Phoenix House is registered to support up to nine people. On the date of our inspection, nine people, with diverse complex needs such as learning disabilities, autism and limited communication abilities were being supported by the service.

The service embraced the values which underpin the Registering the Right Support. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

Improvements were required to ensure the risks to people’s health and safety within the general environment were managed safely to mitigate the risk of potential harm and infection.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s individual care and support needs. Effective recruitment procedures were in place to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to keeping people safe from harm and abuse and the actions to take should they have concerns. Systems were in place for the safe management of medicines.

Staff felt supported and valued and were clear on their roles and responsibilities. People are supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People were supported to access health and social care services. People’s dietary needs were met by staff.

People were treated with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect by a consistent staff team. Staff knew people well and were sensitive to their individual care and support needs. They were committed to supporting people to live fulfilled and meaningful lives. People’s independence was promoted and, where possible, they were encouraged to do as much as they could for themselves. People were supported to maintain relationships with friends and families.

Care plans were person centred and contained information and guidance to enable staff to support people in line with their preferences. Care was regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s current needs. People were supported to pursue their interests and hobbies.

Although, the registered manager and staff were committed to providing good quality care, improvements were required to ensure the systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of the service and drive improvements were robust and met with regulatory requirements. The service encouraged feedback on the service provided to support continuous improvement.

We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.