185 Watling St Road

The care home accommodates up to nine people in one adapted building. There were six people living in the home when we inspected.

This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 10 January 2019. The service was last inspected on 26 April 2016 when there were no breaches in regulation seen and the home was rated as 'Good'. At this inspection we found the service remained 'Good' overall and 'Good' in all areas inspected.

There was no evidence or information from our inspection or on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. The service met all relevant fundamental standards. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At the time of this inspection a registered manager was 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.

The service has continued to sustain a good standard of care and support for those who lived at the home. The provider, the management and staff team were constantly striving to improve the service and this is demonstrated by their commitment towards those who live at 185 Watling Street Road.

People were able to live as they chose and this philosophy was clearly embedded within the visions and values of the service. Staff had a good understanding of people's needs and were able to provide person centred care in a compassionate and dignified way, which enabled people to receive the support they needed in the way they preferred.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There was clear evidence of a solid management structure and a dedicated team approach, which continued to drive the service forward, in order to provide a good standard of care and support. Staff who had shown particular interests in specific areas, such as safeguarding, dignity, health and well-being and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) were designated 'Champions'. These champions continued to play an essential role in developing best practice, sharing learning and acting as role models for other staff.

People who lived at 185 Watling Street Road told us they felt safe living at the home. Medicines were being appropriately managed and we found the environment to be clean, well maintained and safe for people to live in. Risk assessments had been conducted where necessary and staff we spoke with were confident to report any concerns about people's safety to the appropriate authorities.

Recruitment practices were robust and new staff were guided through an induction programme, followed by regular mandatory training modules throughout their employment.

There were sufficient staff on duty, who were kind and caring and had developed good relationships with people who used the service. We saw that people looked comfortable in the presence of staff members and seemed relaxed within their environment.

People were assisted in a gentle and supportive way. We noted that a homely and peaceful environment had been created for people to live in. Staff we spoke with all told us they were happy working at the home.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found