About the service: Wrekin Villa is a ‘care home’ registered to accommodate up to five people. At the time of this inspection the service was providing accommodation and personal care to five people with mental health care needs.

People's experience of using this service:

People told us staff fully understood their needs and were very kind and caring. People’s individuality was promoted and staff had an excellent approach to raising awareness of dignity and cultural issues.

People felt safe and support was of a high standard.

Staff could recognise and report suspected abuse or poor practice. Managers were aware of the process to follow should an allegation be made.

People received appropriate support to receive their medicines as and when they needed them.

Risks to people were assessed and procedures were in place to help keep people safe.

People were protected from the risks associated with the control and spread of infection.

Staff understood the importance of ensuring people's rights were understood and protected.

People’s individuality and diversity was celebrated.

People were supported to live independent lives with appropriate support where required.

People's health care needs were monitored and responded to promptly with cooperation and support from health and social care professionals.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs flexibly. Staff were well supported and very well trained.

Support was very personalised to meet individual’s individual needs.

People had opportunities to engage in activities that gave them a sense of self-worth and achievement.

People were confident that complaints would be addressed and they could talk to staff or managers about anything. Formal processes were in place should a person wish to raise a complaint.

People were very satisfied with the quality of the service provided and feedback from relatives, and visiting professionals was very positive.

Quality checks and audits enabled the registered manager to ensure the service provided effective, safe and responsive care.

The management of the service was approachable and proactive to ensure the service met the needs of the people they supported.

The service had good community links that promoted inclusion.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated Good at the last inspection in August 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

We inspected this home on 02 August 2016. This was an announced Inspection. We gave the registered provider 24 hours notice of our visit to ensure we would be able to speak with people using the service when we arrived for the inspection. The home was registered to provide residential care and accommodation for up to five younger adults. At the time of our inspection the home was full.

A registered manager was in post, and was present throughout our 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.

All three people we spoke with told us they felt safe. We observed people looking relaxed and comfortable with each other and the staff who were on duty. Relatives we spoke with had complete confidence that their relative was safe. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to protect people from the risk of potential harm. Staff were aware of the provider’s processes for reporting any concerns. There were enough staff to support people safely and recruitment checks were in place to help ensure that the staff employed were safe to work with people.

Staff had been trained to support people effectively. This included learning about the specific needs and conditions people lived with. Staff told us that they received regular supervision and felt supported. More senior staff were always available for them to seek advice and guidance.

People did their own shopping and were supported to plan menus that they liked and which they enjoyed. People were supported when necessary to access a range of health care professionals. People were supported to access information about healthy lifestyles to help them make informed decisions.

Staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). These provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions. We observed staff working consistently in line with good practice, which included seeking people’s consent before providing any support.

We observed people and staff talking and joking together, as well as talking about matters of concern to each individual. Relatives and health professionals we spoke with were complimentary about the staff team. People had been encouraged to develop skills to help them be more independent and to retain skills they already had. We observed staff ensuring people’s privacy and dignity was maintained.

People and their relatives knew how to raise complaints. Where complaints had been raised the registered manager had taken prompt and appropriate action.

There was a registered manager in post who was aware of her responsibilities, and who had the skills and experiences required to enable her to effectively lead this service.

People who received a service from Wrekin Villa’s supported living service were very satisfied with the support that they received.

People told us that their assessed needs were met in ways that they preferred. They said that they were encouraged to remain independent and develop skills to enable them to do this. Assessments of needs were seen to be detailed and support plans were developed from information provided. We saw that risks were assessed and plans were in place to reduce and manage them.

Staff told us that they enjoyed their jobs and were aware of their individual roles and responsibilities. They told us that managers were approachable and supportive. Staff received regular opportunities to meet as a team and individually with senior staff. Staff told us that they had good training opportunities and records reflected this.

Staff recruitment files seen contained the majority of required information to demonstrate a thorough process for checking staff suitability.

There were effective systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. People who received a service told us that they were asked if they were happy with the service. Records showed how checks were carried out to monitor systems and processes.

For this inspection we reviewed the regulated activity of accommodation for persons who require personal care.

We spoke with two of the four people who lived at Wrekin Villa. One person did not wish to speak with us and one person was away from the home on the day of our visit. We observed interactions and spoke with three staff and the registered manager. We also reviewed two support plans and other records as detailed within this report.

People lived independent lives with staff support. People said that they did their own cooking, cleaning and washing. Staff support was available if people wanted it. People took part in a range of leisure and social activities, both at home and in the local community. People made their own decisions as to how they lived their lives. People were supported by health and social care professionals as appropriate to ensure their physical and emotional wellbeing.

We were told that people were very happy with the support they received from the staff who supported them. People told us that staff helped them to make plans and enabled them to gain the skills they needed to live the lives they chose. Plans were in place to ensure, as far as was possible, people’s health and safety was maintained.

People were supported by a knowledgeable and well trained staff team who knew people’s care and support needs well. Staff were offered a range of training opportunities that were specifically designed to meet the needs of the people that they supported.

People were protected because staff were confident to recognise and report abuse. The home had implemented changes in response to incidents to keep people safe.

The home had systems in place to seek the views and opinions of people who received a service. Staff told us that support was centred on people’s individual needs. Plans were in place to support people to maximise their potential and staff were aware of risks, people’s rights and their responsibilities in order to enable people to do this.

Wrekin Villa had comprehensive quality monitoring tools to ensure that they maintained good quality and safe care.

The home effectively ensured that people’s views were considered and listened to in relation to the running of the service.