This inspection was unannounced and took place on 18 and 31 May 2016. The Coach House is registered to provide accommodation with nursing and personal care for up to 66 people including people with mental health needs and dementia. On the first day of the inspection there were 57 people living at the home.

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.

The provider had not always carried out appropriate recruitment checks before staff started working at the home. Staff knew how to recognise and report potential abuse. Risks were assessed and managed, giving consideration to people’s changing mental health needs. People’s medicines were stored and managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed by their GP or consultant.

People felt the staff team had the skills and knowledge required to support and care for them. Assessments of people’s capacity had been carried out, and where people’s rights and freedoms had been restricted this had been done lawfully. People were happy with the variety and quality of food and drink provided and were supported to access relevant healthcare professionals when required.

People felt they were supported by staff who were friendly and approachable. People diverse needs were understood and met by staff who knew them well. Staff supported people in a way that maintained their privacy and dignity and were aware of people’s personal and health needs.

Staff had a good understanding of people’s life histories as well as their needs and preferences. People were happy with the way they were involved in their care and support planning. People knew how to complain and the provider had a system in place to manage complaints.

People and staff told us they felt the home was well managed. People, relatives and staff were invited to give feedback and contribute to the development of the home. The registered manager was supported by the provider to monitor the quality of care provided. There were systems in place to monitor the effectiveness of the service and these were used to drive improvement.