The inspection took place on 25 October 2017 and was unannounced.

When we last inspected this service it was rated good.

At this inspection we found the service remained good.

Aldeburgh House provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. People who use the service may also have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection six people were living in the home.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associate Regulations about how the service is run. The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs). Decisions were taken in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, DoLs and associated Codes of Practice.

People were safe because staff supported them to understand how to keep safe and staff knew how to manage risk effectively. There were sufficient numbers of care staff on shift with the correct skills and knowledge to keep people safe. There were appropriate arrangements in place for medicines to be stored and administered safely.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Their care plans were individual and contained information about how they preferred to communicate and their ability to make decisions.

People were encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoyed, and were supported to keep in contact with family members. When needed, they were supported to see health professionals and referrals were put through to ensure they had the appropriate care and treatment.

Relatives and staff were complimentary about the management of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service.

The management team had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided.

We found Aldeburgh house to be homely and welcoming place in which to live. Three people told us that they were very happy and that they enjoyed taking part in a variety of social and leisure activities. One person told us "I like all the staff here, every one of them is kind and helpful." Another person told us that if they had any complaints about the staff they would "Speak to the manager."

It was evident that people who used the service had a good relationship and rapport with the staff who supported them. People's health and personal care needs were assessed and there were care plans in place for care staff to follow so as to ensure that people were supported safely and in accordance with people's individual preferences and wishes.

Staff spoken with demonstrated a good understanding of people's health and personal care needs and how each person wished to be supported.

Where people did not have the capacity to consent, the provider had acted in accordance with legal requirements. We found that there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people's care needs.

We found that medication practices and procedures were well managed and effective. We also found that the service managed complaint effectively and the information provided to people was in a format that could be fully understood by each person who used the service.

We spoke with three people who used the service and four members of staff as part of this inspection. All three staff members told us that they considered the manager both approachable and professional and provided them with a good system of support which enabled them to carry out their role effectively and safely.

We found that the service was meeting the personal, emotional and healthcare needs of people who used the service.

We found that the environment was maintained safely and odour free and that all health and safety checks were up to date.

One person told us that they liked to help cook the meals for everyone. Another person told us that "I can make a cup of tea and staff help me so that I am safe."

We found that there was an effective training programme in place that ensured staff were provided with the appropriate training to carry out their role effectively.

The provider seeks the views of people who used the service through an annual service user questionnaire. The results of the 2012 questionnaire were very positive from the five people who responded. No formal complaints about the service had been received by the provider in the past year.

We found support plans and information that related to people's care and welfare had been produced in a person centred format using pictorial prompts which ensured all aspects of people's care could be fully understood by everyone who used the service.

People with whom we spoke told us that they were happy with the care that they were being provided with. They told us that staff always spoke with them about their care needs and that they were always consulted with about things that they wanted to do.

The inspection took place on 30 September 2015 and was unannounced. Aldeburgh House provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. People who use the service may also have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection six people were living in the home.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associate Regulations about how the service is run. The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs). Decisions were taken in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, DoLs and associated Codes of Practice.

People were safe because staff supported them to understand how to keep safe and staff knew how to manage risk effectively. There were sufficient numbers of care staff on shift with the correct skills and knowledge to keep people safe. There were appropriate arrangements in place for medicines to be stored and administered safely however, this was not consistent.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Their care plans were individual and contained information about how they preferred to communicate and their ability to make decisions.

People were encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoyed, and were supported to keep in contact with family members. When needed, they were supported to see health professionals and referrals were put through to ensure they had the appropriate care and treatment.

Relatives and staff were complimentary about the management of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service.

The management team had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided.