Beech Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Beech Lodge provides personal care for up to nine younger adults living with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were nine people living in the home when we visited.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

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

There were systems in place to keep people safe. Staff were aware of safeguarding issues and people had their risk of harm assessed. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to care for people. medicines were managed safely and there were good infection control practices in place.

People are cared for by staff who have the knowledge and skills to look after them. People are involved in planning their weekly menu and enjoy a healthy and balanced diet and an active lifestyle.

People were treated as unique individuals by kind and caring staff. People were supported to be involved in the service and integrated well with the local community. The provider monitored the quality of the care people received.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 2 October 2015 and was unannounced.

Beech Lodge is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up nine people. There were nine people with a learning disability living at the service on the day of our inspection.

There was not a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. However, the acting manager had submitted an application to CQC. 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 the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way. The management and staff understood their responsibility and made appropriate referrals for assessment. No one at the time of our inspection had their freedom restricted.

People were safe because staff undertook appropriate risk assessments for all aspects of their care and care plans were developed to support people’s individual needs. The acting manager ensured that there were sufficient numbers of staff to support people safely and this varied depending on the activities and outings that people were involved in.

People were cared for by staff that were supported to undertake training to improve their knowledge and skills to perform their roles and responsibilities and meet the unique needs of the people in their care.

People had their healthcare needs identified and were able to access healthcare professionals such as their GP, dentist and learning disabilities nurse specialist.

People were supported by staff to develop a nutritious and balanced menu for the following week that included their favourite meals and healthy choices. Mealtimes were a social event where all people and staff gathered together in the dining room.

The service had a homely family atmosphere and people were at the centre of all decision making about the smooth running of the service. Staff enabled people to be independent and achieve their personal goals.

People lived busy and active lives and were encouraged to take part in hobbies and interests of their choice. Some people were supported in education, others in work placements, sporting activities and all enjoyed being part of a strong social network. Relatives commented that their loved ones were well looked after and their wellbeing had improved since moving into the service.

People had a say in all aspects of the running of the service, including the appointment of the new Chief Executive. People and staff attended regular meetings about the continued development of the service. Relatives told us that the acting manager and staff were approachable and always had time to talk with them.

The registered provider had robust systems in place to monitor the quality of the service, including regular audits and feed back from people, their relatives and staff. Staff took part in reflective practice sessions and received feedback on their performance through supervision and appraisal.

We talked with four people who used the service and looked at their care plans. People told us they were happy at the home and the staff understood their needs. One person said, "I love it here" and another said, "staff look after me very well."

We saw the care plans identified people’s needs and preferences and risk assessments were in place to keep them safe.People who used the service said the plans had been discussed with them and they had signed them to give their consent to their care and treatment.

We saw there were appropriate arrangements in place for the safe handling, storage and administration of medicines.

We found staffing levels were adequate and staff had been provided with training to ensure they had appropriate knowledge and skills to care for the client group.

Systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. People who used the service felt confident that if they raised issues with staff that they would be addressed. One said, "If I was unhappy, I would go to the manager and explain. She would take the time to listen and do something about it."

On the day we visited nine people were living in the home and we were able to speak with the manager, a member of staff and three people who lived there.

People in the home said they were treated with dignity and respect and supported to be as independent as possible. They said they had access to all the leisure activities they wanted and attended a variety of training courses.

People told us they liked living in the home, they felt safe and staff were kind and friendly and knew what they were doing. They also said they could get access to a doctor or other health professional if they needed to.

People also said they knew what to do if they wanted to complain about anything and felt sure something would be done about it.