Bamburgh House is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and personal care as a single package under a contractual agreement with the local authority, health authority or the individual, if privately funded. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Bamburgh House provides accommodation and personal care for up to three people who have a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. Bamburgh House is a detached chalet bungalow style property with a first floor self contained flat and has been adapted for the purpose. The service is situated in a residential area of Thorrington, Colchester and is close to local amenities. Each person using the service has their own individual bedroom and adequate communal facilities are available for people to make use of within the service. At the time of our inspection three people were using the service.

At our last inspection of this service on 30 November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

A registered manager was 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 associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People continued to feel safe. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to safeguard people from the risk of harm and risks to people were assessed and monitored regularly. Staffing levels ensured that people's care and support needs were continued to be met safely and safe recruitment processes continued to be in place.

Medicines continued to be managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People continued to be supported by staff who had the right skills, knowledge and experience. CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS applications had been made to ensure that people were only deprived of their liberty, when it had been assessed as lawful to do so.

People's needs and choices continued to be assessed and their care provided in line with up to date guidance and best practice. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and all health needs were met with the support from staff.

People continued to have access to healthcare services and were involved in monitoring their health needs. Staff understood how to prevent and manage behaviours that may challenge the service.

People had developed positive relationships with staff and there was a friendly, calm, relaxed atmosphere within the service. Staff knew people's likes, dislikes and preferences well and supported them to engage in activities of interest.

People continued to be treated with dignity and respect and staff ensured their privacy was maintained. People were encouraged to make decisions about how their care was provided.

There were policies and systems in place that ensured people would be listened to and treated fairly if they complained about the service.

The service was kept clean and hygienic. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection.

There were systems in place to monitor incidents and accidents. There were arrangements in place for the service to make sure that action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service.

The organisation's visions and values centred around the people they supported, which ensured their equality, diversity and human rights were respected.

Quality assurance audits were carried out to identify any shortfalls within the service and how the service could improve.

Further information is in the detailed findings below and in our last comprehensive report completed for the service.

The inspection took place on 30 November 2015 and was unannounced. Bamburgh House is a care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to three people who have a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. On the day of our inspection three people were using the service.

The service had an application in progress to register a new manager at the time of our inspection. 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 associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe because staff understood their responsibilities in managing risk and identifying abuse. People received safe care that met their assessed needs. There were sufficient staff to provide people with the support they needed to live as full life as possible. Staff had been recruited safely and had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support in ways that people preferred. The provider had systems in place to manage medicines and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely.

The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Appropriate mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions had been undertaken by relevant professionals. This ensured that the decision was taken in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, DoLS and associated Codes of Practice. The Act, Safeguards and Codes of Practice are in place to protect the rights of adults by ensuring that if there is a need for restrictions on their freedom and liberty these are assessed and decided by appropriately trained professionals. One person at the service was subject to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff had been trained and had a good understanding of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Staff had developed positive, respectful relationships with people and were kind and caring in their approach. People were given choices in their daily routines and their privacy and dignity was respected. People were supported and empowered to be as independent as possible in all aspects of their lives.

Staff knew people well and were trained, skilled and competent in meeting people’s needs. Staff were supported and supervised in their roles. People, were able, were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and support.

People’s health needs were managed appropriately with input from relevant health care professionals. Staff supported people to have sufficient food and drink that met their individual needs. People were treated with kindness and respect by staff who knew them well.

People were supported to maintain relationships with friends and family so that they were not socially isolated. There was an open culture and staff were supported to provide care that was centred on the individual. The new manager was open and approachable and used creative ways to enable people who used the service to express their views.

The provider had systems in place to check the quality of the service and take the views and concerns of people and their relatives into account to make improvements to the service.

Bamburgh House accommodated people with varying levels of dependency and communication needs which meant that some people were not able to tell us their experiences. From our observations and time spent at Bamburgh House we saw that the people living there were receiving the care and support they needed in an individual way. Staff were friendly and respectful in their approach and interacted with people using the service in a confident and considerate manner. Wherever possible, staff tried to facilitate choice and independence. One person told us: "I have lived in other care homes and I have never had staff as nice as they are here. They help me loads, they are excellent.”

We found the home provided a very happy, inclusive and homely environment that enabled people to live a normal lifestyle. People were supported in promoting their independence and community involvement. One person told us: “I go out a lot, I had a wonderful holiday last year and we have just arranged one for this year. I go to college and the manager and staff are helping me to find some voluntary work.” We saw that people living at the home, where they were able, were involved in the day to day running of the home.

We saw that staff were safely recruited and that all of the appropriate checks were undertaken to make sure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. The staff team were well trained and supported to carry out their job safely and effectively.