This inspection took place on 9 and 14 August 2017. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location is a small care home for younger adults who are often out during the day; we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

Ashdale provides care and support for up to four people who have autism spectrum condition. The home is a large detached house in a residential area within walking distance of the City Centre.

The home had a registered manager in place. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection, the home was rated Good. At this inspection we found the home remained Good.

The provider had systems in place to ensure people were protected from abuse and harm. Staff had completed safeguarding training and were confident in what action to take if they witnessed abuse. Risk assessments were specific to the person and identified the risk and the actions needed to be taken to keep the person safe. Medicines were managed safely. Sufficient staff were available to ensure people’s needs were met.

The registered manager ensured experienced and appropriate skilled staff were deployed to support people. The home had a warm homely atmosphere and people’s rooms were personalised. People were promoted to have a balanced diet. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals. People were 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 said they were cared for by kind and caring staff, who treated them with respect and dignity. Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported. They were aware of their preferences, interests and family structure. People were involved in all aspects of decision making about their care and treatment. People’s independence was encouraged and staff supported people to achieve their goals.

Care plans were comprehensive and included clear information for staff to make sure each person’s specific needs were met. Staff were proud to work for the provider and told us they were fully supported by the registered manager. The provider had an effective quality assurance process to monitor the quality and safety of the service and to ensure that people received appropriate care and support.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 15 April 2015. The last inspection of this home was carried out on 13 June 2013. The service met the regulations we inspected against at that time.

Ashdale provides care and support for up to four people who have autism spectrum condition. The care home is a detached family house in a quiet residential area near the city centre. At the time of this visit there were four people living there. The service is situated beside another small care home and they are both managed by the same 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.

People told us they “liked” living at this care home. They said they felt comfortable at the home and with the staff who supported them. One person commented, “I’ve always felt very safe at Ashdale.” There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. The home had a stable staff team and many staff had worked there for years. This meant they were familiar with people’s individual needs. The provider made sure only suitable staff were employed. Staff helped people to manage their medicines and did this in a safe way.

People and relatives had confidence in the skills of staff. One person said, “The staff are very good. They know how to help people.” A relative commented, “Staff seem very capable.” Staff received relevant training to assist each person in the right way. Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for those people who lacked capacity to make a decision and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to make sure people were not restricted unnecessarily.

People were supported to be as involved and as independent as possible in choosing menus, grocery shopping and preparing meals. One person told us, “I like all the meals because we shop and make them ourselves.” Staff helped people to lead a healthy lifestyle, and supported them to go to any health care appointments.

People and relatives made positive comments about the caring and friendly attitude of staff. One person told us, “The staff are really lovely. They are all nice and caring.” There was a relaxed and sociable atmosphere in the home. One person told us, “It’s a very happy home and it’s got a good atmosphere.”

People were encouraged to make their own decisions and choices, for example about activities, menus and clothes. Staff were friendly and supportive when talking with people.

Staff were very knowledgeable about people’s individual needs, preferences, likes and dislikes. There were up to date care records that were personalised to each person and included guidance for staff about people’s specific needs.

Each person had a range of meaningful social, leisure and vocational activities they could take part in. One person said, “We do lots of different things.” People and relatives were asked to comment on the service and they felt able to give their views about the home at any time. People and relatives had information about how to make a complaint

People, relatives and staff felt the organisation was well run and the home was well managed. There was an open, approachable and positive culture within the home. Staff commented positively on working for the organisation, but felt their views were not always directly asked for by the provider. The provider had a quality assurance programme to check the quality of the service.

We haven’t been able to speak to all of the people using the service because they had complex needs, which meant they were not able to tell us their experiences. However, we gathered some evidence of people’s experiences of the service by observing care practice.

We also undertook a short observational framework for inspection (SOFI) exercise to observe the interactions between them and the staff. SOFI is designed to be used when inspecting services for people who had some difficulty in communicating their opinions on the services they receive.

During the SOFI, we observed people being offered choices; for example, people were offered a choice of drinks and a choice of meals. Staff were attentive and gave people the information about the drink and meal options in a way that was appropriate to their needs. One person was being supported to make their own meal and others were involved in setting the dining table and selecting condiments that they liked. In addition, we observed staff trying to engage people in discussions about the activities they had taken part in that day and what they wanted to do that evening.

We found that people who were using the service were receiving the care and support they needed. For example, the staff we spoke with could describe how they met the assessed needs of the people they were providing with care.

We found that the people who were using the service were protected from abuse as the provider had procedures in place for the staff to follow if they suspected anyone was at risk of abuse.

We found that records, which the provider is required to keep, to protect the peoples' safety and wellbeing, were stored securely and could be located promptly when needed. For example, the care records were kept in secure cabinets.

During the inspection, the staff members on duty were observed speaking to people in a kind and respectful way. We also observed that the people were clean and well groomed

We found that people who used the service were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment. Records were kept securely and could be located promptly when needed.We spoke to people using the services but their feedback did not relate to this standard.

We spoke to the people who were living at the home. One person commented “We have meetings to talk about holidays”, “I have travelled by myself now” and “I go out with my friend”.They also told us that they like the staff and they felt safe at the home. However due to the complex needs and different communication styles of people who were using the service the information we received verbally from some people was limited.

We spoke to the people who were living at the home. One person commented “We have meetings to talk about holidays” and “I have travelled by myself now”. However due to the complex needs and different communication styles of people who were using the service the information we received verbally from some people was limited.