A Norwich care home for young adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs has been given an 'outstanding' rating by health inspectors.

Charlton House, in Drayton High Road, has been praised for ensuring people live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

A CQC inspector rated the home good for being safe, effective and caring and outstanding for being responsive and well-led.

At the time of the inspection in October the home was fully occupied, providing personal and nursing care to eight residents.

The inspector noted the home deliberately had no identifying signs, intercom, cameras or industrial bins which would have indicated it was a care home, while employees were discouraged from wearing clothing that suggested they were care staff.

The report said: "People's safety, health and wellbeing were at the heart of the service.

"The service understood people's needs and anxieties and were skilled in supporting people to manage their behaviours. This meant they were able to keep people safe who had not been safe in previous services."

The CQC praised the home for its innovative approach to end of life care and its 'just in case' workbooks for individuals to express how they would want to be cared for.

Elsewhere, the report said: "People were also supported to progress towards independence within the community and in education and work.

"The expertise of the staff had enabled people living in the service to reduce their anxieties and manage behaviours which previously had prevented them from staying in services or had impacted on their ability to be independent."

Louise Staley, registered manager at the home, which is run by care provider Cascade, said: "Achieving this outstanding rating from the CQC means the world to all of the staff and residents at Charlton House. There are very few services that achieve this standard and it is a testament to the unwavering commitment and hard work of everyone involved. This home and our sister homes really are making a positive difference to the lives of young people with learning disabilities and autism in Norwich and we are very proud of this achievement."