Bamburgh Supported living is a service which supports people with a Learning disability to live independently in their own homes. This support includes assistance with personal care, shopping, domestic and social activities. On the day of our visit on 22 August 2017, there was one person being supported in a property in Colchester.

This was the first inspection of this service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The inspection was announced and we gave the service notice as we needed to make sure that someone would be in when we visited the service.

There was a registered manager in post but they were on holiday at the time of our inspection and we were assisted by the assistant 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. The registered manager manages Bamburgh Supported Living and another residential service owned by the same provider for people with a Learning Disability in North Essex.

Staff had a good understanding of how to protect people and the systems to use if they had any concerns. Risks in the environment and in the community had been assessed and there were management plans in place to safeguard individuals and reduce the likelihood of harm.

The staff team was stable and the individual using the service was supported by regular staff who knew them well. Checks were undertaken on staff, prior to their appointment to ensure that they were suitable. These recruitment checks could be further strengthened and we have made a recommendation regarding this.

Training was provided to new staff to prepare them for their role and ensure that they had the skills and knowledge they needed to provide individualised care. Observations to practice were undertaken to ensure that they were working to expectations.

Medication was safely managed and there were clear arrangements in place to oversee medication and ensure that it was administered as prescribed. We have recommended that a risk assessment is undertaken to underpin the storage arrangements and provide further safeguards.

Staff had a good understanding of healthy eating and much of the food was freshly prepared. Staff sought advice appropriately from health professionals and there were clear plans in place which provided guidance to staff on meeting health needs.

Staff had been provided with training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and understood the principles of consent and best interests. The MCA and DoLS ensure that, where people lack capacity to make decisions for themselves, decisions are made in their best interests according to a structured process

Relationships were good and staff were kind and caring. Staff were clear about the aims of the service and their role in promoting independence. They used a variety of communication tools to communicate and ensure that the individual being supported was involved in their care and in decision making.

Support plans were detailed, informative and regularly reviewed. They underpinned the support, which was person centred and individualised, reflecting the individual's preferences and needs. There were systems in place to ensure effective handover of information between staff to ensure that support was provided in a seamless way.

The individual being supported led a full life and had access to a wide variety of interesting opportunities in the community which promoted their overall wellbeing. They were enabled to maintain friendships with people who were important to them.

There was a complaints procedure in place, although none had been received.

The manager was accessible and provided clear leadership. Staff morale was good and sta