Barleyfields is registered to provide accommodation with personal care to a maximum of five people. Staff provide short term respite care for people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were five people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

At the last inspection on 5 August 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to receive care, which protected them from avoidable harm and abuse. Risks associated with people’s care were managed positively and people were involved in managing these risks to help keep them safe. Staff met people's needs in a safe way and were available when people needed support.

People received care and support that was effective in meeting their needs. Staff received training and support to give them the skills needed to support people's specific needs. Staff respected people's right to consent to and make their own decisions about their care and treatment. Where people did not have capacity to make their own decisions, systems were in place which would ensure these made were in their best interests.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by a staff team that knew them well. They were kept involved in their own care and staff made sure they had choices in all aspects of their daily life. Staff respected people's privacy, treated them with dignity and encouraged them to be as independent as they could be.

People's care and support continued to be individual to them. People were supported to spend their time how they wanted to and were encouraged to maintain their routines and social interests when they stayed at Barleyfields House. People had opportunities to give feedback on their experiences of the care they received.

Staff continued to work for the benefit of the people who lived at the home and supported a positive and open culture. People and relatives felt involved in what happened and gave positive comments about the quality of care that was delivered. The provider had systems in place that continued to be effective in assessing and monitoring the quality of the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This inspection took place on 5 August and was unannounced. At our previous inspection no improvements were identified as needed.

Barleyfields is registered to provide accommodation with personal care to a maximum of five people. Staff provide short term respite care for people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were four people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

A registered manager was in post and was present during our inspection. 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.

Staff protected people from danger, harm and abuse and had received training to be able to identify and report any concerns they may have. Risks associated with people’s care had been identified and information was available to staff to inform them how to support people safely.

People’s medicines were handled safely and staff followed procedures to ensure people received their medicine when they needed it.

Staffing levels were based on the number of people who stayed at the home and their support needs. This was constantly reviewed so staff could provide care and support safely. Staff who worked at the home had checks completed to ensure they were suitable to work there.

People were supported to make their own choices and decisions about their care and support. When people did not have the capacity to make their own decisions staff made sure decisions they made on their behalf were in their best interest to protect their human rights.

People were involved in shopping for food and had a choice of what they wanted to eat each day. Staff were aware of people’s food likes and dislikes and would ensure people’s ‘favourites’ were at the home when they stayed.

Staff made sure people were involved in their own care and understood what was being said to them. They used alternative ways to communicate if people could not understand what was said or if they were unable to verbally say what they wanted.

Staff encouraged people to be as independent as they could be and were aware of not disrupting people’s routines whilst they stayed at the home.

People enjoyed their respite stays at the home and relatives were happy with the care and support their family member received. People’s support needs were reviewed regularly and their support plans updated when needed.

Relatives had the opportunity to give their opinions about the care their family member received. Results of surveys they completed were shared with them. Relatives found staff and management friendly and approachable and were kept involved in what happened at the home.

The registered manager and staff had created a positive, friendly culture where people came first. The home had a stable management structure in place and staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care staff provided and improvements to practices were made where necessary.

When we visited Barleyfields House we were shown around the building. We saw that each of the five bedrooms were well furnished. We were told how the rooms were thoroughly cleaned after each person had left. The bathrooms and shower rooms were all well equipped with seats and hoists.

There were comfortable and well furnished dining, lounge and activity areas. The kitchen was well set out to allow the people to participate in meal preparation. All the areas were clean and well maintained. The building was light and people had space to move around.

We saw many photographs in the building of the people and staff participating in a wide range of trips and activities. In the main rooms there were lots of games and activities for the people. Throughout the building accessible information and pictures were displayed. The garden area was well maintained.

We met four of the five people who were staying at Barleyfields house. The people had limited communication but two of the people were able to tell us that they liked to stay at Barleyfields House. One person told us they had been staying there for five years. “it’s great and I enjoy it”. They said the food was good and they went out for an ice cream, bowling and on trips. They told us they went out for Sunday lunch and liked to make cakes.

We observed the staff on duty interacting with the people. When people arrived they were greeted in a warm and friendly way. The staff showed that they understood people’s needs well. The people were communicating with the staff and the staff understood them. Everyone seemed to have a good relationship and was comfortable in each other’s company. We were told about the way the people had fun with the staff and teased them.

The two members of staff we spoke to told us how their previous work experience had helped them in the present jobs. They said the majority of the staff had worked at Barleyfields House for many years. They worked as a team and helped each other. They demonstrated to us that although many people stayed at Barleyfields House, they knew everyone very well. They were able to tell us how they supported the people to have active and full lives during their stays at Barleyfields House.

One member of staff told us “It’s fantastic. The people enjoy their stay and they often don’t want the time to end”. We were told that sometimes the work could be difficult as people have different personalities and different needs. But there was always something different for them to do and space if people want to do different things.

They told us how they took the people out to do what they wanted. They told us how people had choice in their activities and always could change their mind.

They told us how they had been supported with thier training and had gained qualifications. They said that their manager liked people to be trained up well and always found ways to do this. They told us that they had regular supervision and an annual appraisal.

One member of staff told us that the people were encouraged to do as much as they could for themselves. They were supported to make their own decisions. Sometimes it took time to sit down with the people and give them the opportunity to make choices.

We were told by one staff member how they were always thinking of ways to improve the service. They told us how important it was for all the staff to know as much as possible about a person before they came to Barleyfields. This information helped the staff to understand how best to support them.

They told us they felt very well supported by the management and their colleagues. The manager and deputy were always there or could be reached on the telephone. They said they were able to talk to their manager and report any concerns and these would be addressed.

We met with five people who were staying at Barleyfield House at the time

of our inspection. We spoke with five staff which included the manager and two relatives. People who were able to told us that they enjoyed staying at Barleyfield House.

People’s likes and dislikes were documented and considered in relation to the care and support they received. We saw staff treat people with dignity and respect and people were supported to maintain their independence.

People told us they were well cared for and were involved in planning and reviewing their care and support. Staff were knowledgeable about the individual needs of the people they supported. They met people’s care and support needs in ways that they preferred.

People told us the staff were, “Nice” and treated them well. Staff were confident to recognise and report abuse. They had received training on protecting vulnerable adults and were confident to speak out if they observed poor or abusive practice.

Staff told us they were provided with, “Very good” training opportunities to keep people safe and meet their individual needs. This enabled them to offer effective care and support to the people who used the service.

People said if they were not happy they would tell the staff. Relatives and staff told us they were familiar with the complaints process. The provider had systems in place to monitor and review people’s experiences and complaints.

We visited Barleyfield House to see what changes had been made since we last visited. We met with two people who used the service, spoke with four staff and the manager. We also spoke with three representatives following our visit to gain their views. People shared positive experiences of the service that they or their relatives received.

People told us that they or their relative looked forward to their stay at Barleyfield House. They told us about the activities made available included bowling, film nights, meals out, shopping and going to the cinema. One person told us they had enjoyed going to their usual day service and had been into town to do some shopping. They told us they had been to the pub during their stay and was looking forward to going out for a meal. They said they liked the staff. The other person who was using the service was unable to verbally share their experience however, they appeared happy and relaxed in the company of the staff.

We spoke with all of the staff who were on duty during our visit. They told us they enjoyed their work and were well supported. They said they were provided with lots of training opportunities to keep people safe and to meet the specific needs of the people they supported. They told us they had recently attended a training course to gain the skills and knowledge to effectively support people with autism. They said the course was valuable and beneficial to their learning. One person stated, “The course was absolutely brilliant and it has given me a better understanding when supporting people with autism". Other comments from staff included, “I love it here, I really like the personal touch”. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had; I absolutely love my job and the diversity of the people we work with”.

We spoke with three representatives to gain their views about the service provided. Their feedback was extremely positive. They told us their relatives really looked forward to their visits at Barleyfield House. They said staffing levels were sufficient to meet the needs of their relatives and that the staff were “very good”, “caring” and “approachable”. They told us the service was well managed. Comments included, “It’s excellent, and I’m thrilled with them”. "It’s a much needed resource and my son absolutely loves going there”.

The manager told us that the service had recently won a Regional Care Award for Putting People First.