About the service: Portland Street is a residential care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for people with mental health support needs. It is registered to provide support for a maximum of 13 people. At the time of our inspection, six people were using the service. The accommodation is split into two adjoining houses, half of the bedrooms and were vacant and undergoing refurbishment along with communal spaces and bathrooms.

People’s experience of using this service: People continued to receive care that was safe, effective, caring, responsive to their needs and well-led. People told us they felt safe and were happy living at Portland Street. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way.

Staff had received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. Peoples health was well managed and staff had positive links with professionals, which promoted well-being for them.

Staff were kind and caring and promoted people’s dignity. Staff understood the importance of treating people with respect and ensured they did this. People were observed to have good relationships with the staff team. Staff actively ensured people maintained links with their friends and family.

People's records clearly identified their preferences. Staff provided effective care for people, which met their needs through person-centred care planning. People enjoyed an extensive programme of activities both in the service and the local community. Complaints were managed within the providers stated process.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Published May 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on our previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection took place over one day on 6 April 2016 and was unannounced. At our last inspection in June 2013.

Portland Street provides accommodation and personal care for up to eleven adults with mental health needs. On the day of our visit, there were eleven people using the service. The home had 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.

There were systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. The staff had received appropriate support and training which enabled them to identify the possibility of abuse and take appropriate actions to report and escalate concerns. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and managed appropriately through the use of detailed risk assessments. There were systems in place to monitor the safety of the environment and equipment used within the home minimising risks to people. There were arrangements in place to deal with emergencies. One area of risk that had not been identified was dealt with appropriately during and shortly after our visit.

Robust staff recruitment practices were in place to make sure that the staff were safe to work with the people who lived in the home. There was enough staff on duty to meet the needs of the people living at the home. Medicines were managed, stored and given to people when they needed them by trained and competent staff. There were processes in place to ensure new staff were trained appropriately and staff received regular training, supervision and annual appraisals to enable them to provide people with effective care. Staff gained consent from people before providing them with support .

The registered manager and staff supported people who may not be able to make decisions about their own care in line with relevant legislation .

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to a range of health and social care professionals when required. People's nutritional needs and preferences were met.

Staff knew the people they supported well and provided them with the support they wanted to receive. Staff treated people in a respectful and caring manner and interactions between people and staff were relaxed and friendly. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity. People received care and treatment in accordance with their identified needs and wishes. Care plans documented information about people's personal history, choices and preferences and preferred activities.

People knew how to complain and felt confident to do so if they needed to. People felt that the atmosphere in the home was open, friendly and welcoming and that the registered manager and staff were approachable.There were systems and processes in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of the service provided. Any issues identified by these systems were acted upon quickly and the appropriate actions taken.The service had a positive culture that promoted independence and was responsive to peoples changing needs.

We reviewed two care plans and saw that they included comprehensive information about people, including personal and general background information, which reflected individual choices and personal preferences. We spoke with three people who used the service who all told us they were happy living at Portland Street.

All areas of the service we viewed were visibly clean and orderly. We also saw that people who used the service were encouraged to take a lead role in maintaining the cleanliness of the premises.

We reviewed two staff files that demonstrated appropriate checks were undertaken before new staff began work.

The provider had effective systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.

People told us that staff members obtained their consent before supporting them with care or treatment. Care records clearly recorded which decisions people were able to make for themselves and which decisions they did not have the capacity to make.

People received the care and support they required to improve their health and well-being. Care records were written in detail and provided clear guidance to staff members. People we spoke with said staff always supported them with their care needs. One person told us that, "they enable independence and provide as safe place to live without fear". They added that they were able to do what they wanted and were supported with their wishes.

Medicines were stored appropriately and records were maintained to show all storage areas were kept at the correct temperature. Administration records were kept and people received their medicines in a safe way.

Improvements had been made to the decor and internal property so that people had a safe and pleasant place to live.

People living at the home and staff members said there were enough staff available to ensure people were cared for properly and received the support they wanted.

People told us that they would be able to make a complaint if they were not happy. The service had a policy and procedure to guide people and visitors in how to make a complaint, although it did not provide correct information about taking complaints further.

People told us that they were satisfied with the lifestyle at Portland Street. People had choices about most aspects of their daily lives and had opportunities to influence how the home was run. Staff ensured that everyone had regular opportunities to participate in local community activities and events.

People told us that they received the care and support they needed. They had built up good relationships with the staff and felt safe at the home.