Winston House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Winston House provides care and support for up to 25 people with mental health support needs. Nursing care is not provided. There are external and internal communal areas for people and their visitors to use. There were 19 people using the service when we visited.

This inspection was carried out on 15 and 18 December 2018. This was the first inspection of the service since being registered with a new provider on 1 February 2017.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice

People were assisted by staff in a way that supported their safety and they were treated respectfully. People had health care and support plans in place to ensure their needs were being met. Risks to people were identified and plans were put into place to enable people to live as safely and independently as possible

There were sufficient numbers of safely recruited staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. Medicines were safely stored and administered to people as prescribed.

There was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere in the service. The staff were observed to be kind, reassuring and attentive in their approach to people. People were provided with food and drink that met their individual needs and preferences. There was an on-going quality monitoring process in place to identify areas of improvement required within the service. Where improvements had been identified, actions were taken.

Staff were trained to provide effective care and support which met people’s individual needs. The standard of staff members’ work performance was reviewed by the registered manager and senior staff through regular supervisions and appraisals.

People were encouraged and supported to find meaningful activity to be involved in. The service considered and implemented creative initiatives to give people a wide range of support to aid their mental health support needs. Care professonals were positive about the service and the support being provided.

The registered manager sought feedback about the quality of the service provided from people and/or their relatives, staff and visiting health professionals. There was taken. Learning from incidents were discussed at staff meetings to reduce the risk of recurrence.

The registered manager was aware of their responsibility to uphold legal requirements, including notifying the CQC of various matters. The service worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure that coordinated care was provided to people.