36 West Street is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

36 West Street is owned by Voyage 1 Limited. It is situated in the Wombwell area of Barnsley and is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for six people with learning disabilities. The accommodation is provided on two floors. On the ground floor there is a lounge, activities room, dining area, a purpose built kitchen and four bedrooms which have direct access to a bathroom or shower area. On the first floor there are two self-contained flats.

At the time of this inspection six people were living at West Street.

At our last inspection, we rated the service Good. At this inspection, 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.

Why the service is rated Good.

People living at West Street told us they felt safe and they liked the staff. Some people who we could not verbally communicate with were able to express their happiness and satisfaction with the care they received through sign language, or by their observed facial expressions, body language and gestures.

Relatives we spoke with felt their family member was in a safe place and spoke positively about the standard of care and support their family member received.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities in keeping people safe.

Policies and procedures for the safe handling of medicines were in place.

The recruitment procedures in operation promoted people’s safety.

New staff completed a thorough induction and all staff received regular training to support them in their roles.

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

People’s support plans were centred around the person and contained relevant and detailed information and had been reviewed to ensure they were up to date.

We found that staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and saw they interacted positively with people living in the home.

People had access to a range of health care professionals to help maintain their health. A varied diet was provided, which took into account dietary needs and preferences so people's health was promoted and choices could be respected.

We found the home was clean, bright and well maintained. People’s rooms and/or flats had been personalised and communal areas were comfortably furnished.

A range of activities were available both inside and outside the home to provide people with leisure opportunities.

People living at the home and their relatives said they could speak with staff and the registered manager if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

Safety and maintenance checks for the premises and equipment were in place and up to date.

36 West Street is owned by Voyage 1 Limited. It is situated in the Wombwell area of Barnsley and is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for six people with learning disabilities. The accommodation is provided on two floors. On the ground floor there is a lounge, activities room, dining area, a purpose built kitchen and four bedrooms which have direct access to a bathroom or shower area. On the first floor there are two self-contained flats.

This unannounced inspection was carried out on 22 March 2016. The service was last inspected in January 2014 and the service was found to be compliant in all of the standards inspected.

The registered provider is required to have a registered manager in post and on the day of the inspection there was a manager in post who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), although they were absent on the day of this 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. The registered manager was also registered to manage another of the registered provider’s services. They divided their time equally between the two services and at 36 West Street were supported by a deputy manager who was present at this inspection.

We found that staff had a good knowledge of how to keep people safe from harm and there were enough staff to meet people's assessed needs. Staff had been employed following appropriate recruitment and selection processes and we found that the recording and administration of medicines was being managed appropriately in the service.

We found assessments of risk had been completed for each person and plans had been put in place to minimise risk. The service was clean, tidy and free from odour and effective cleaning schedules were in place.

We saw that staff completed an induction process and they had received a wide range of training, which covered courses the service deemed essential, such as, safeguarding, infection control, safe handling of medication, manual handling and the management of actual or potential aggression (MAPA).

The registered manager understood the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and we found that the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) guidelines had been followed. Staff had received training in MAPA and emotional or behavioural support plans were in place for people using the service.

People's nutritional needs were met. We saw people enjoyed a good choice of food and drink and were provided with snacks and refreshments throughout the day.

One person told us they were well cared for and we saw people were supported to maintain good health and had access to services from healthcare professionals. People had health action plans in place to help ensure their health needs were met.

We found that staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and saw they interacted positively with people living in the home. People were supported to make choices and decisions regarding their care.

People had their health and social care needs assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual care needs. Care plans were individualised to include preferences, likes and dislikes and contained detailed information about how each person should be supported.

People were offered a variety of different activities to be involved in. People were also supported to go out of the home to access facilities in the local community.

The registered provider had a complaints policy and procedure in place and there were systems in place to seek feedback from people and their relatives about the service provided. We saw that any comments or suggestions were appropriately actioned.

We found the registered provider had audits in place

People were asked for their consent before care or support was provided and staff acted in accordance with people’s wishes.

We found the care provided to people met their care and treatment needs. People we spoke with said they were happy living at 36 West Street. Family members were satisfied with the care provided to their family members. Comments about staff were that they were “excellent/brilliant and they couldn’t fault them.”

People were given the medicines they needed, when they needed them and in a safe way.

The service operated an effective recruitment procedure.

There was a complaints system available. People and family members we spoke with said they would raise concerns if they needed to.

People told us they enjoyed living in the home and they found staff to be very supportive. One person who used the service said “The manager is brilliant, she is lovely.” People who used the service felt involved in their care and felt that they could speak to staff about anything. One person said “Staff always listen to me and help me.”

We observed care and we found that people who used the service were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were aware of people’s individual preferences.