Reach Yew Tree Road

There was a registered manager 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 care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service was last inspected in October 2015. At that inspection, we rated the service as good overall. Some concerns had been highlighted to us prior to this inspection, however, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People were protected from the risk of abuse by staff who had the knowledge and skills to identify safeguarding concerns and act on them. Risk to people's health and well-being had been assessed and plans were in place to minimise the identified risks. Regular checks were made regarding the safety of the premises and action had been taken to introduce measures to increase the security and safety of people using the service. The provider had plans in place to manage foreseeable emergencies. Medicines were managed and administered safely.

People benefitted from receiving support from a staff team who were trained in the skills necessary to fulfil their role. Staff were supported in their role and told us they could seek advice whenever necessary. Staff monitored people's physical and emotional wellbeing and ensured support was in place to meet their individual needs. When necessary, staff contacted health and social care professionals for guidance and support. 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 support this practice. People’s nutrition and hydration were monitored and staff supported them to have a varied diet.

Staff interacted positively with people in a kind and caring manner. People were provided with choices around their daily living and their independence was promoted. They were encouraged to be involved in the service. People were relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff who responded to them promptly. People were respected and their privacy and dignity were maintained. People were supported to maintain relationships with family, friends and relatives.

People's support plans were person centred and contained detailed information specific to each individual, including people's likes, dislikes, cultural and spiritual preferences. People had opportunities to take part in activities of their choice. The provider made people and their relatives aware of how a complaint may be raised.

The registered manager and provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. People, their relatives and staff had opportunities to feedback their views on the quality of the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

We looked at the provider's newsletter which evidenced people were clearly contributing to and actively involved in developing and furthering good practice by the involvement of people who used the service in the newsletter editorial team. The staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of the different types of abuse and were able to provide good insight into the organisations safeguarding policies and that of the Local Authorities reporting processes.

We observed that the managers operated a model of good practice by offering regular supervision and access to training for staff, and observed that staff had access to a framework of training and regular support that enabled them to offer a high quality of care. We found evidence of regular audit visits carried out by the Care Service Manager. The visit reports we looked at showed us the provider was using a robust quality monitoring system to ensure safe and respectful care was received by people who used the service.

We saw that interaction between people and staff was positive and respectful. We saw that, although some people's behaviour presented regular challenges to staff, they responded to them with a consistent and person centred approach.

We spoke with a relative of a person who used the service, who told us that they felt 'more at peace than at any other time. They told us that their relative had been on holiday for the first time, which was something they thought would never be possible. This told us that the home was managing risk well to support people to live fulfilling lives.

Staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of different types of abuse. They were clear about how and when to report concerns in line with the organisation's policy and the local authority procedure.

We observed that the manager modelled good practice and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff received well structured supervision and training that enabled them to understand the needs of people.

There were regular provider visits carried out by the organisation. The visit reports were detailed and showed action to be taken which was followed up at the next visit. This showed us that the provider was using a robust quality monitoring system .