We inspected An Darach House on 16 October 2018. The inspection was announced.

An Darach House is located in the village of North Scarle, Lincolnshire. An Darach House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home can accommodate up to six people who experience learning disabilities.

On the day of our inspection six people were living at the home.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion.

People were cared for by staff who knew how to recognise abuse and how to respond to concerns. Risks in relation to people’s daily life were assessed and planned for. People lived in a clean and hygienic environment and were given appropriate support to manage their lifestyles and behaviours in the least restrictive way.

There were enough staff to ensure people received care and support when they needed it. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff had the knowledge and skills to provide safe and appropriate care and support for people. People were enabled to have maximum choice and control over their lives and policies and systems within the home supported this practice.

People were cared for by staff who were well supported by the manager.

People were supported to maintain their nutrition and staff monitored and responded promptly to people’s health conditions.

People’s needs were monitored and reviewed and staff cared about the individual they were supporting. Staff listened to people and got to know them well. People were supported to enjoy a varied social life.

There was an open and transparent culture. People were encouraged to give their views on how the service was run and there were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

We carried out this announced inspection on 26 April 2016.

An Darach House is based in the village of North Scarle in Lincolnshire. It provides accommodation and support for six people with a learning disability. There were six people living in the home at the time of our inspection most of whom had a range of communication needs which staff understood.

There was 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.

Staff knew how to respond to any concerns that might arise so that people were kept safe from harm. People’s medicines were managed safely and staff worked with people in ways which helped to avoid the risk of accidents. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before any new staff were appointed.

Staff had received training and guidance and they knew how to care for people in the right way including how to respond to people who had different communication needs. People had been supported to receive all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

Staff had ensured that people’s rights were respected by helping them to make decisions for themselves. The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to report on what we find. These safeguards protect people when they are not able to make decisions for themselves and it is necessary to deprive them of their liberty in order to keep them safe. In relation to this, the registered manager had worked with the relevant local authorities to ensure that people only received lawful care that respected their rights.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, respected confidential information and promoted people’s dignity.

People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and all of the care they needed. Staff supported people to pursue a wide range of interests and hobbies. There was a clear system in place for resolving complaints.

Regular monitoring and quality checks were undertaken which ensured that any issues related to the running of the home would be quickly resolved. Staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns because the service was run in an open and inclusive way. People had benefited from staff acting upon good practice guidance.

We spoke with four people that used the service and two relatives. People told us that they liked living at the home and that were encouraged to express their views and make choices that helped them live as independently as possible.

People told us that they were consulted about the care and welfare of their relatives. A person said, ‘’Their communication is excellent. They check with me frequently to make sure the support my relative gets is appropriate.’’

Care staff we spoke with explained their role in the home which included how they supported people that used the service to achieve an independent lifestyle. This included supporting people in a wide range of activities. One person said, ''Today a group of us are going out for Christmas lunch.''

We found that people's support plans were detailed and took account of people's individual needs and how this would be supported.

We looked at the provider's quality assurance systems and found that there were suitable arrangements in place to monitor and improve the service.

We observed support staff were attentive to people’s needs and their interaction with people was friendly, respectful and professional.

We saw members of staff were effectively supported by the manager to deliver a high standard of care.

The home was kept clean. People were supported to act independently by helping to keep the home clean and tidy. People were encouraged to make their own choices and decisions.

People enjoyed a wide variety of daily activities ranging from visits to the local activity centre to attending a local college.

We saw the home sought the opinion and comments of the residents and their relatives. One relative told us, “The home is excellent, the staff are very knowledgeable and the environment is wonderful.”