Barley House provides accommodation with personal care for up to two people. The home specialises in providing a service to adults who have a learning disability or associated mental health needs. The home is staffed 24 hours a day.

At the time of the inspection there were two people living at the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good

People were supported by adequate numbers of staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of harm and abuse. There were systems in place to identify and manage risks.

People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. One person who lived at the home said “I like it here. I like the staff. They are nice.” The other person who lived at the home told us “I am very happy here: Yes. The staff are good to me.”

People continued to receive effective care. People were supported by staff who were well trained and competent in their roles. People’s health care needs were monitored and met. 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.

The home continued to provide a caring service to people. Staff were kind, considerate and patient when they supported people. A relative told us “The staff are excellent. They look after [name of person] really well. They are very helpful and very caring.”

People received care which was responsive to their needs and preferences. A relative said “The staff are very aware of [name of person’s] medical problems and involve us and the GP. We have no concerns. They are fully aware and always keep us up to date.”

The service continued to be well led. The registered manager was very visible in the home and knew people very well. Staff told us the management within the home were open and approachable. The registered manager and provider continually monitored the quality of the service and made improvements where needed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This inspection took place on 26 June 2015 and was unannounced.

The service provided accommodation and personal care for two adults with a learning disability or other associated mental health needs. At the time of the inspection there were two people living in the home. People in the home could sometimes display repetitive or harmful patterns of behaviour when they were distressed or anxious. People were able to carry out most of their own personal care routines with some prompting or assistance from staff. They could communicate verbally but had varying levels of language skills. To keep people safe they needed the support of staff or their relatives to go out into the community.

The service had 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 had choice and control over their daily routines and staff respected and acted on the decisions people made. Where people lacked the mental capacity to make certain decisions about their care and welfare the provider knew how to protect people’s rights.

We heard staff consulting people about their daily routines and activities. One person said “Staff always treat me well and they let me decide what I want to do”. People were able to decide when to get up and go to bed, whether or not they wanted assistance with aspects of personal care, meal choices and whether they wished to spend time on their own. No one was made to do anything they did not want to.

Care plans contained records of people’s preferences including their personal likes and dislikes. This helped staff to provide care and support in a way that suited each person’s individual preferences.

People were supported to be as independent as they wanted to be. They helped with daily living tasks such as meal preparation and cleaning. People were supported to visit relatives, access the community and participate in social or leisure activities on a regular basis.

People got on well with staff and management. One person said “I’m very happy. I get on well with all the staff”. The provider employed a small team of staff to support the people living in the home. This ensured consistency and meant staff and people got to know each other well.

People felt safe and staff knew how to protect them from abuse. One person said “Nobody is nasty with me”. Care plans included individual risk assessments to enable people to participate in activities they enjoyed while minimising the risk of avoidable harm.

People had regular contact with their relatives which helped maintain family relationships. Relatives were encouraged to visit the home as often as they wished and staff supported people to visit their families.

Staff received appropriate training and were assessed by management to ensure they supported and cared for people safely and competently. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to keep people safe and to meet their needs. Staff said they all worked together as a really supportive team and a senior person was always available if they needed advice or support. People were also supported to access external healthcare professionals when required.

The provider had a quality assurance system to check their policies and procedures were effective and to identify any areas for improvement.