About the service: This service supported people with learning disabilities, mental health and physical disability support needs. It was registered for the support of up to seven people. Six people were using the service at the time of the inspection

• What life is like for people using this service:

People enjoyed living at Abbeycroft and felt safe and at ease around staff who understood their needs and how to keep them safe. Staff knew how to recognise and report abuse.

• Staff recognised the risks to people's health, safety and well-being and how to support them.

• People had access to support from sufficient staff when needed.

• Staff recruitment processes included a check of their background to review staff suitability to work at the home.

• People received support with the medicines. Regular checks were undertaken to ensure people received the correct support by staff who were competent to help them.

• The home was clean and staff were working on further supporting people with their personal care.

• The registered manager ensured people's care was based on best practice standards and staff had the correct training to meet people's needs.

• Guidance on people's needs was also shared through supervision and staff meetings.

• People were offered choices at mealtimes and encouraged to decide what menu options they would like.

• People were supported to attend healthcare appointments and advice from healthcare professionals was incorporated into people's care.

• People were treated with dignity and respect and their independence was promoted.

• People and their families were involved in planning their care with support from staff.

• Staff supported people to enjoy a range of activities which reflected people's individual interests.

• People and their families understood how to complain if they wanted to. Systems were in place to take any learning from any complaints made.

• Staff enjoyed working at the home and received advice and guidance from the registered manager.

• Staff worked together with the registered manager and families to ensure people's care was continually monitored, reviewed and reflected changing needs.

• The registered manager with stakeholders such as the specialist charities to seek advice and guidance and incorporate learning into people’s care.

•We found the service met the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas; For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good. The last report for Abbeycroft was published on 02 March 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

The inspection took place on 19 January 2016 and was unannounced. Abbeycroft offers accommodation for up to seven people with learning disabilities, mental health and physical disability support needs. There were seven people living at the home at the time of our inspection. People had their own rooms and bathrooms. People had the use of a number of comfortable communal areas, including kitchens and dining areas, lounges, a craft room and garden areas.

We had the opportunity to talk with three people who lived at the home on the day of the inspection. We have therefore not used quotes within this report and the examples we have given are brief because we respect people’s right to confidentiality.

A registered manager was in post at the time of our 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.

We saw people got on well with the registered manager and staff supporting them. Staff supported people to do the things they enjoyed and to keep in touch with their families. Staff offered encouragement and reassurance to people when they wanted it. Staff knew how to support people so they were able to make choices about how their care was given.

People’s health needs were understood by staff, and staff arranged for people to see health professionals when they needed to. Staff supported people to take their medicines so they remained well.

People received care and support from staff who knew their individual needs, and recognised when these changed. Staff knew about the things which were important to people and what things they liked to do. Staff were supported through regular supervision and training. Staff told us if they had any concern for people’s well-being they were able to get advice from senior staff or the registered manager and external professionals. Staff worked with other organisations to make sure they were protecting people’s freedom and rights to make decisions themselves.

Some people enjoyed preparing their food with support from staff and people were encouraged to make healthy food choices. Staff supported people to see a range of health professionals so their health needs were met.

People got on well with the staff who cared for them. People’s privacy and dignity were respected and people were supported to increase their independence. People had opportunities to do the things they enjoyed with support from staff. The registered manager and senior staff team supported care staff to provide safe and compassionate care.

People were involved in deciding what care they received and people’s suggestions were acted upon. Staff encouraged people to be involved in their care reviews so they received the care which was right for them. People knew how to raise any complaints they had and were confident staff would take action if complaints were raised.

Staff knew what was expected of them as there was clear and open communication between the registered manager and staff team. The registered manager and provider made sure there was a focus on continuous development of the home. Checks were undertaken on the quality of the care provided by the registered manager and provider and actions were taken where developments had been highlighted.

When we visited Abbey Croft we found that six people used the service. We met and spoke with two of these people. We spoke with two members of staff who provided care and the registered manager. We read the care records for everyone who used the service. We read four staff records.

We found there was a policy about people giving their consent to care and there were consent documents on people's care records. We found that staff had a good understanding of the needs of people who used the service. We found that care and support was planned and delivered in a safe way, in line with people's individual care needs and preferences.

People we spoke with were positive about the care they received. People told us that care staff had the right training and that their knowledge and skills were adequate. People told us, "The staff are really caring, they have supported me to become much more independent" And "I'm really pleased with the support I receive, they work well with me".

We found that there was an effective recruitment process in place to ensure that staff had the skills to meet people's needs. We found that the home worked well with other services to ensure the health and wellbeing of the people who used the service.

We saw that the provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. People were supported to raise any concerns and we saw that concerns were dealt with effectively and in a timely way.

We spent time during this inspection observing how staff interacted with people who were using the service. We asked two people and two relatives about how staff approached them. Without exception, we saw and were advised that staff were polite, helpful and supportive. We found that regular activities were being offered to people and they were being assisted in making decisions about their lifestyles.

People and relatives gave us positive feedback about the standards of care and support that staff provided. We saw that people were relaxed and comfortable within their environment. People did not hesitate in giving their opinions to staff and staff responded appropriately and professionally. We saw that people were receiving their personal care in a way that included their personal preferences.

We found that there were adequate numbers of care workers allocated to day and night time shifts that ensured people were supported in all their daily living skills and in accessing the community when they wanted to. People knew how to make a complaint if they were not happy with the service or staff practices. We saw that the home had not received any formal complaints.