Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services provides accommodation and personal care within a supported living environment for up to 22 older and younger adults who have mental health care needs. At the time of our inspection 22 people were using the service. Our inspection took place on 18 August 2016 and was unannounced. The service was last inspected on the 26 June 2013 where it met the Regulations that we assessed.

The manager was registered with us as is required by law. 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 a 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 kept safe, with detailed risk assessments in place and staff were aware of people’s needs and how to support them. Medicines were given appropriately and staff felt confident in administering them. We found that there was a suitable amount of staff available with the skills, experience and training in order to meet people’s needs.

Staff were knowledgeable and they had received an appropriate induction, on-going training and regular supervision. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager and felt that they could speak with them at any time. Staff sought people’s consent prior to carrying out care and they had a good understanding on mental capacity. People’s ability to make important decisions was considered in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People enjoyed nutritious food and could access drinks whenever they chose to. People’s on-going health needs were maintained and staff assisted them to remain as healthy as possible.

People’s preferences were sought and acknowledged and they enjoyed participating in leisure interests. Complaints and concerns were listened to and responded to effectively. Staff maintained people’s privacy and dignity whilst encouraging them to remain as independent as possible. Staff spoke positively about the approachable nature and leadership skills of the registered manager. People told us that they were able to raise any concerns they had and felt confident they would be acted upon.

Although they were carried out, quality assurance audits were not always comprehensive and so not all areas of care provided could be analysed for trends and patterns. Systems for updating and reviewing risk assessments and care plans to reflect people’s level of support needs and any potential related risks were not carried out on a regular basis. The provider supported the registered manager and staff well. Notifications were sent to us as is required by law, so that we could see how staff responded to incidents that occurred.

We spoke with four people, a relative, three staff members, the deputy manager, the manager and a visiting health professional.

People told us they were happy with the care they received. One person said, “It’s first class." Another said, "It's a nice place."

People appeared comfortable and relaxed around staff and each other. People we spoke with all said they felt safe. Staff had all received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults, knew how to recognise abuse and report it to the appropriate authority. This meant that staff had been trained to ensure people were safe.

During our inspection of 13th March 2013 we found that the arrangements to manage medicines were not safe or effective and that people were at risk. During this inspection we saw that those issues had been addressed and that people were protected against the risks associated with medicines.

There was a robust and effective selection and recruitment system in place. Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.

People and a relative we spoke with said they knew how to raise a complaint or a concern and they would be confident to do so. People were given information about the complaints procedure when they began to use the service.

There were 17 people living in the home. We observed the lunchtime medicines being given to three people, and saw staff check that the correct medicines were given. The senior carer explained what the medicines were for before giving them and checked with people that they had taken their medicines. We saw staff ensured sufficient time was given to each person to take their medicines.

We found important information about people’s medicines was not recorded, and records were not clear. There was a lack of appropriate arrangements in place to manage the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines.

There were 22 people living at the home on the day of our inspection. No one knew we would be visiting. We spoke with five people who lived there, one health and social care professional and two members of staff. All of the people we spoke with told us positive things about the home.

We saw that staff spent time with people giving them individual attention. We saw there were positive relationships between staff and people living a the home. This promoted people's sense of well being and self esteem.

We saw that staff treated people with respect and dignity. We saw that choices were offered and that people’s views were sought and taken into consideration.

We found that people’s needs had been assessed by a wide range of health professionals including dentists, specialist doctors and chiropodists. This meant that people’s health care needs were being monitored and met.

We saw that some community based and in house activities were offered to suit people’s needs and choices. People told us they enjoyed these activities.

The staff records we looked at demonstrated that they had received training which enabled them to meet the needs of people living in the home.

There were systems in place to monitor how the home was run to ensure people received a quality service.