Ventura Care Home is registered to provide care and accommodation to a maximum of seven adults who have long term mental health needs. The ages of the five people using the service ranged from 49 to mid 60’s.

At the last inspection in August 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good:

The service continued to provide safe care to people. People said they felt safe. Staff understood people well and supported them to lead the lives they wanted as safely as possible. People’s rights were protected because the service followed the appropriate legal processes.

People were protected through staff knowledge and good practice in medicines and protecting people from abuse. Staff were in sufficient numbers, adequately trained and supported.

People said they liked the food and that they were helped to maintain a healthy weight. Appropriate health care professionals, such as the mental health services, were involved in planning and meeting people’s health care needs. Each person had a regularly reviewed plan of their care to which they had agreed.

People were encouraged to engage in household tasks and internal and community activities. Some chose to get involved and others said they did not wish to adding that they were able to engage in the activities they wished.

People knew who to take any concern or complaint to. The home was well managed with measures in place to asses the quality of the service. There was a culture of providing safe care in a respectful and dignified manner through listening and responding to people’s invidivual needs and wishes.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 20 August 2015

This service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to seven people with mental health needs. At the time of the inspection, seven people were using the service and were able to communicate with us.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 protected from risk because the provider had robust safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures in place and staff had undertaken training in how to safeguard adults. Support workers were able to identify different types of abuse and were aware of what action to take if they suspected abuse.

Support workers had worked at the home for a number of years which ensured a good level of consistency in the care being provided and familiarity to people using the service. There were effective recruitment and selection procedures in place to ensure people were safe and not at risk of being supported by people who were unsuitable.

People were cared for by staff that were supported to develop and maintain the necessary knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Staff spoke positively about their experiences working at the home. They told us “I enjoy it here, I like the team”, “I like it here, I enjoy working here. This feels like it is a home rather than a care home.”

People using the service spoke very positively about the home and staff members. People told us “Staff here are approachable and give you the time of day. They listen to you”; “They are nice people”.

Positive caring relationships had developed between people who used the service and staff. People were treated with kindness and compassion and were spoken with respectfully. People were relaxed and at ease and their dignity was respected.

People were supported to be as independent as they could be, to maintain and develop daily living skills such as cooking, cleaning, doing their own laundry and shopping. People were supported to follow their interests, take part in them and maintain links with the wider community.

There were arrangements in place for people’s needs to be regularly assessed, reviewed and monitored. Records showed the registered manager and staff conducted monthly, and yearly reviews.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. Checks were being carried out by the registered manager and any further action that needed to be taken to make improvements to the service were noted and actioned. There was an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service.

We spoke with four people who used the service. They told us that “staff always ask us what we want to do; today I am going for coffee with a friend”. They told us that “staff are very kind and helpful” One person told us that “I have agreed my routine with my keyworker and it is put on my wall to remind me”.

We looked at four records to check that people had given consent to their care, treatment and support. We saw that each person’s file had a document where it was clear that people had signed to say that they “consent to treatment as outlined in my care plan”.

We saw records of four care plans kept at the service which had comprehensive information about each person. People who used the service told us that they knew what was in their care plan and they had meetings with their Community Psychiatric nurse or social worker to review their care plans.

People told us that if they were worried about anything they would talk to their key worker or the manager. They told us that these staff were very approachable. This means that people who use services are aware of how to raise concerns of abuse.

People who used the service told us that “the staff are very good, always helpful and kind”. Another person told us “these are the best staff I have come across”. We observed staff interacting with people who used the service in a respectful way.

We saw a system for gathering and evaluating information to ensure that the service was delivered safely and effectively.

During our visit we spoke with four people who used the service and two staff members. People told us they could chose how to spend their day. People we spoke with told us that they were happy and safe at Ventura. One person told us, they had lived in the home for quite a while and felt very happy with the way the home was run. Another person commenting on the home told us, “I cannot think of anywhere better than here.”

The staff we spoke with had a very clear understanding of the care needs of people who lived in the home. We saw that people were treated with respect and dignity, for example, staff were observed to make good eye contact and used touch to reassure people.

Staff told us they were aware of the home’s policies on recognising and reporting abuse and would not hesitate to report any concerns to the manager.

Regular audits of the premises, care practices and documentation were carried out to maintain the health safety and wellbeing of people at the home.

We observed the atmosphere and general ambiance of the home to be friendly, calm and relaxed.

The people that we met were positive in their opinion of how they feel they are cared for by staff and the manager, who is the owner of the service. Examples of the comments made to us included “everything is hunky dory ” and “all of the staff are wonderful”. Other comments made included “on the whole they are very good”. One person said, “The owner is absolutely wonderful”.

People said that they are properly supported by the staff to gain more confidence in their lives.

The staff spent time with people and we noticed they listened to them in a respectful and polite way.

People are supported to eat the meals they enjoy. People are supported by the staff to choose a varied and well balanced diet.

People are supported to take the medicines they need for their health and wellbeing, but there were some minor concerns about the security of medicines because of access to the medicine cupboard keys

People live in a comfortable and safe environment. Art works created by people who live at the home are on display, as well as photos of people at different social events.

People are supported by staff who are effectively monitored and supervised in the work they do.

Staff are trained in subjects to do with people who use the service. This training for staff means they understand what support people need.

People are involved in monitoring the service and care they are receiving. The owner acts on peoples’ views to improve overall outcomes for them..

Complaints are properly resolved where possible, to the satisfaction of the person making the complaint.