About the service: This service provides care and support to seven people living in a supported living’ setting so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate the premises used for supported living. This inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ People were supported by consistent staff they felt safe with and who knew them well.

¿ Staff turned up on time and gave a good quality of care to people, in a way they wanted.

¿ People received their medicines at the right time and in the right way.

¿ Staff were well trained and supported by the registered manager, who they held in high regard.

¿ People were supported to maintain a diet that met their nutritional needs.

¿ People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

¿ Detailed assessments were in place, and people’s care records were detailed and written in an enabling way.

¿ People told us they were supported by exceptionally kind staff that knew their needs and preferences in detail.

¿ The registered manager and staff looked at ways in which people communicated and had considered how they could support people to express themselves in a way which was tailored to them.

¿ People were given information about how to complain when they moved in, and felt fully confident to raise any concerns that they may have had.

¿ Audit systems were in place which identified areas for improvement. Regular meetings were held with staff and people, and these were used to look at any areas that may need to be improved.

This service met the characteristics of Good 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: This service was last rated Good. (2 August 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive, and inspect the service, if risk is indicated.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection took place 02 August 2016 and was announced.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Bakers' Villas is a domiciliary care service that is registered to provide personal care. The service is provided to people living in sheltered accommodation owned by the Bakers Benevolent Society. People can be supported by 'in-house' care workers employed by the service. This domiciliary care service enables people to continue living independently in their own flat or bungalow within the complex. At the time of the inspection 6 people were using the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 felt safe. Staff had received training to enable them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and knew how to report them, protecting people from avoidable harm and abuse.

People had risk assessments in place to enable them to be as independent as they could be whilst being kept safe.

There were sufficient staff, with the correct skill mix, on duty to support people with their needs.

Effective recruitment processes were in place and followed by the service to ensure staff employed were suitable for the role.

Medicines were managed safely. The processes in place ensured that the administration and handling of medicines was suitable for the people who used the service. Some people administered their own medication.

Staff received a comprehensive induction process and on-going training. They were well supported by the registered manager and had regular one to one time for supervisions and annual appraisals.

Staff had attended a variety of training to ensure they were able to provide care based on current practice when supporting people.

Staff gained consent before supporting people and had signed consent within their care plans. People were supported to make decisions about all aspects of their life; this was underpinned by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People were able to make choices about the food and drink they had, and staff gave support when required. There was an onsite restaurant for people to use if they chose to.

People were supported to access a variety of additional health professionals when required. Staff provided care and support in a caring and meaningful way. They knew the people who used the service well. People and relatives, where appropriate, were involved in the planning of their care and support. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained at all times.

A complaints procedure was in place and accessible to all. People knew how to complain. Effective quality monitoring systems were in place. A variety of audits were carried out and used to drive improvement.

During our inspection of Bakers’ Villas on 14 October 2013, we saw that staff had made every effort to identify and act on the wishes of people who used the service. One person told us, “I decide what care and support I get. We agree what I need and they [staff] provide it.”

We looked at care records which showed that people’s individual needs had been assessed, documented and reviewed. They were personalised and gave staff clear guidance on how to provide the care and support people required. One person said, “The carers look after us like family. They look after us with lots of laughter and fun. Everything is done so thoroughly. They go above and beyond what we require.”

Records showed that appropriate arrangements were in place to protect people from the risks associated with medicines.

We saw that staff had been properly supported to provide care and support to people who used the service. One member of staff told us, “The manager is very approachable and supportive. We get lots of training courses relevant to our role.”

The provider had put systems in place to regularly assess and monitor risks and the quality of services provided to people.

Following our visit we spoke with three relatives of people using the service. Everyone we spoke with said that they were very satisfied with the care provided by the service. They told us that their care workers were reliable, and provided all the care and support that they needed.

The people we spoke with told us that they were confident that the care workers had the training and support to be able to meet their needs. They said that their loved one's were treated with respect and their dignity was upheld. They told us they were involved in their care and kept informed. One relative said that the service worked very well indeed and they were contacted whenever there were any changes in their loved one’s care.

They confirmed that they were consulted about the quality of the care provided. One relative told us,“ It is a unique service.” They also told us, “It has made a huge difference to the quality of my life. We are able to go out and spend quality time together.”