183 Ashby Road provides accommodation and residential care for up to five people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection there were five people living at the home.

At the last inspection on 18 November 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People told us they felt safe with the staff that supported them. Identified risks were managed in a way that ensured risks to people were minimised whilst promoting their rights and choices. People were supported to take their medicine when needed and this was done in a safe way. Staff understood what constituted abuse or poor practice and systems and processes were in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Checks were made before employment to confirm staff were of good character and suitable to work in a care environment.

There were enough staff available to ensure people’s needs and choices were met. Staff received training to support the people they worked with and supervision, to support and develop their skills. The staff team actively sought and included people and their representatives in the planning of care.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People were supported by a consistent staff team that knew them well and promoted their independence. Staff understood people’s preferred communication method and the support they needed to make their own decisions. When people were unable to consent to specific decisions they were supported in their best interest.

People’s needs were assessed and support plans where developed with people to enable them to be supported in their preferred way. People were supported to maintain a diet that met their dietary requirements and preferences and were supported to use healthcare services. The delivery of care was tailored to meet people’s individual needs and preferences. People were enabled to develop and maintain interests both at home and within the local community to promote equality and integration.

People were treated with respect and supported to maintain their dignity. The staff worked in partnership with people when supporting them. Staff knew people’s likes and dislikes and support records reflected how people wanted to be supported and how care was provided.

There were processes in place for people to raise any complaints and express their views and opinions about the service provided. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We inspected 183 Ashby Rd on 18 November 2015 and it was an unannounced inspection. This was the first inspection since changing to a new provider. The home provides accommodation and support for up to five people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection there were four people living there.

The home had a registered manager in place. 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.

People told us that they were supported to keep safe. We saw that medicine was administered and managed safely, including medicines that were used ‘as required’ to manage behaviours that put the person and others at risk. Risk was assessed and managed so that people could be supported safely to live active lives. There were sufficient staff employed to ensure that people could do this safely. People were supported to make choices about their lives and were central to plans that were devised to assist them to do this. Plans were reviewed regularly with people and at least annually with people who were important to them.

The staff team understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and were able to explain how people’s capacity had been assessed and how they supported them in line with this. They were aware of the principles of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and this had been applied within the home to protect people’s human rights.

People were supported by staff who had training and line management to provide an effective service. Learning was planned for each member of staff individually and staff reported that it helped them to understand how to support people better. Staff were knowledgeable about protecting people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns. They had their competency checked by senior staff, for example in administering medicines. Safe recruitment procedures were followed when employing new staff.

People were encouraged to develop independence skills and this included planning for and cooking nutritious meals. They were also assisted to lead healthy lives and to access healthcare services when required. People told us that staff were good at respecting their privacy.

Staff developed caring, respectful relationships with people. People were asked if they were happy with their support on a regular basis and they were confident that if they wished to complain they would be listened to. Their views, and the feedback from important people in their lives, were used to improve the service. We saw that quality checks were in place to audit the effectiveness of the service. People and their relatives told us that the registered manager had made improvements at the home. They said that they were approachable and supportive.