What life is like for people using this service:

• People and their families enjoyed living at 1a West Avenue and felt safe and comfortable around staff who understood how to recognise and report abuse.

• Staff knew the risks to people’s health, safety and well-being and how to support them safely.

•People had access to support from staff when needed.

•Staff recruitment processes included a check of their background to review their 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 support them.

•Staff understood and practised infection control techniques.

•The manager ensured people’s care was based on best practice and that people’s entitlement to care free of discrimination was maintained.

•Staff training was reviewed and updated so that people could have the correct support needed in relation to their care needs.

•People were offered choices in the food and drinks and healthy options were promoted.

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

•People’s consent was always sought before staff supported them.

•Relatives told us their family members independence was promoted and people were treated with dignity and respect.

• People were involved in planning their care with support from staff. Staff used people’s preferred ways of communicating, to facilitate this.

•Staff supported people to enjoy a range of activities which reflected people’s individual interests. •People were given assistance to they could keep in touch with relatives and friends who were important to them.

• People and their families understood how to complain if they wanted to.

• Staff felt supported by the manager and felt assured they could get the advice and guidance needed to support people.

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

• The manager and staff worked together with other stakeholders to improve people’s experience of care. .

• We found the service met the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas; More information is available in the full report

Rating at last inspection: Good (19 April 2016)

About the service: 1a West Avenue is a is a residential care home, providing personal care and accommodation. There were three people living with either learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorders, or with physical disability, or sensor impairments at the time of the inspection. The service provides accommodation and personal care to younger and older adults.

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.

We carried out this inspection on 19 April 2016.

1a West Avenue provides residential care and support for up to three people with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were three people who lived at the home.

The service has a registered manager. 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. A registered manager had been in post since September 2015.

Relatives and staff told us people who lived at the home were safe. Staff had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and knew what actions to take if they had any concerns. Staff worked together as a team. They were proactive in identifying risks to people’s safety and in reducing them.

There were enough staff to care for the people they supported. Checks were carried out prior to staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. Staff received a thorough induction into the organisation, and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s individual needs effectively.

Care plans contained information for staff to help them provide ‘person centred’ care. Care was reviewed regularly with the involvement of people and their relatives.

People received care from staff they were familiar with. People and relatives told us staff were caring and had the right skills and experience to provide the care required. Staff were aware they were visitors supporting people in their own home, and people were supported with dignity and respect. People were given a choice in relation to how they spent their time and staff encouraged them to be independent.

People received medicines from trained, competent staff, and medicines were administered, stored and disposed of safely.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and how to support people with decision making, which included arranging for further support when this was required.

People had enough to eat and drink during the day, and could make their own meals with staff support. People were offered choices and enjoyed the meals provided. People were assisted to manage their health needs, with referrals to other health professionals and staff supported them to attend appointments.

People knew how to complain and could share their views and opinions about the service they received. Staff were confident they could raise any concerns or issues with the managers, who were approachable, and that they would be listened to and acted upon.

Staff felt supported with opportunities to meet with managers and to further develop their own skills and expertise.

There were processes to monitor the quality of the service provided. This was through regular communication with people and staff. There were other checks which ensured staff worked in line with policies and procedures. Checks of the environment were undertaken and staff knew the correct procedures to take in an emergency.

The management team worked to improve the service to meet people’s changing needs and improve the quality of care.

During our visit, we spoke with the manager and two support workers. We observed interactions and spoke with one person who lived at the 1A West Avenue. After our visit, we spoke by phone with two relatives of people who lived at the home.

Relatives of people who lived at the home told us: “The home is excellent.” And: “They are always doing something with them.” A staff member said: “It’s a great place to work.”

Staff told us staff cover was good and they plan a wide range of activities for people. We saw these included an outing to Drayton Manor Theme Park and a weekly disco night. They also had an annual holiday and regular activities with other local providers.

People who lived at 1A West Avenue interacted positively with staff and appeared very comfortable and relaxed. They were encouraged to make their own choices and decisions. The home was clean, tidy and well maintained.

People told us that staff were pleasant and helpful.

We visited the home on 7 February 2013. During our visit, we spoke with the manager and a support worker. We observed interactions and spoke with the three people who lived at the home. We also spoke by phone with two relatives of people who lived at the home.

People told us, “The home is very good” and “X is always doing things.” Staff said, “It’s a great place to work and there’s a lovely atmosphere.”

Staff told us that there was excellent staff cover and they plan a wide range of activities for people. We saw that these had recently included a Christmas ball with a three course meal, a movie night with a big screen projector and a day trip to Blackpool. They have also had an annual holiday and regular activities with other local providers.

People who lived at the home interacted positively with staff and appeared very comfortable and relaxed. They were encouraged to make their own choices and decisions. The home was clean, tidy and well maintained.

People told us that staff were pleasant and helpful.

There were three people living in the home at the time of our visit. The people living in the home were unable to tell us about the service they received. We spoke to three care workers on duty during our visit and observed the way they related to the people living in the home. We saw that the care workers were friendly and helped people appropriately. We saw them helping people to make choices. The staff knew the needs of the people they were caring for.

We spoke to the relatives of two of the people living in the home. They told us that they were generally happy with the service provided. They felt that people living in the home were supported to have their health needs met. They were supported to keep in touch with their families. One relative had some concerns about there sometimes being only one care worker in the home with one person using the service.

People had been taken out during the day of our visit. They helped in daily activities in the home such as tidying up and making drinks. There were arts and crafts activities in the home.