Westbourne House is a care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 11 people who have mental health needs. The home is situated close to Hillsborough shopping centre, with easy access to local amenities. The home is on two levels and does not have lift access to the second floor. All the bedrooms are single; the bedrooms do not have en-suite facilities. The home has a car park and accessible gardens.

Westbourne House was registered with a new provider, Care 2 Care Training Services Limited in May 2016.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with CQC. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

This was the first inspection of Westbourne House since the new providers registered the location with CQC.

This inspection took place on 7 December 2016 and was unannounced. This meant the people who lived at Westbourne House and the staff who worked there did not know we were coming. On the day of our inspection there were 11 people living at Westbourne House.

People spoken with were positive about their experience of living at Westbourne House. They told us they felt safe and they liked the staff.

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely.

Overall the home was clean. Some redecoration and refurbishment had taken place recently at Westbourne House. This had improved the environment for people.

Staff recruitment procedures ensured people’s safety was promoted.

Staff were provided with relevant induction and training to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge for their role. They told us they liked their jobs, worked well as a team and were well supported by the registered, care and general managers.

The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Code of practice and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This helped to protect the rights of people who may not be able to make important decisions themselves.

People had access to a range of health care professionals to help maintain their health. A varied and improved balanced diet was provided to people which took into account dietary needs and preferences so their health was promoted and choices could be respected.

We saw people participated in a range of daily activities both in and outside of the home which were meaningful and promoted independence.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Support plans were in place and these detailed how people wished to be supported. This information, however, was stored in more than one file and the files were difficult to navigate. This meant information on personalised care may not be readily available to staff and people.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to. People using the service had regular meetings with the registered manager and provider to ask their opinion on the service provided.