This inspection took place on 12 January 2017 and was unannounced. The Orchard is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to five 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 a registered manager in post at the time of this 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 to meet their care and support needs in a timely manner. Staff had been recruited safely and were confident in the steps to take to protect people who may be at risk of harm. Risks to people had been assessed and staff were knowledgeable about people’s plans of care which had been implemented in order to mitigate these risks. People could be assured that they would receive their prescribed medicines safely.

People received care from staff that had received the training they needed to provide effective care and support. New staff benefitted from a period of induction to support them to work competently in their role. Staff received on going support and supervision which enabled them to continue to provide effective care to people living in the home.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs. There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People had their healthcare needs managed in a way that was appropriate for each person and people’s nutritional needs were well supported.

Staff took time to get to know people and ensured that people’s care was tailored to their individual needs. People were treated with dignity and respect and were encouraged and enabled to make decisions in relation to their care and support.

People had personalised plans of care in place that were regularly reviewed to ensure that staff had the guidance they needed to provide consistent care to people. 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. The quality of the service was monitored by the audits regularly carried out by the registered manager and by the provider.