This inspection took place on 4 and 7 August 2017. It was an unannounced visit to the service and the first inspection since the service registered with us.

Belgrave Lodge provides accommodation and support for up to eight people with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and physical disabilities. It is adjacent to another of the provider’s registered services where it shares some facilities, for example, the laundry.

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 were kept safe at the service. Staff undertook training in safeguarding people from abuse. They understood their responsibilities to report any concerns about people’s welfare. Posters about how to raise concerns were displayed around the building.

A relative told us "Overall we're very happy." They said there "Always seem to be plenty of people (staff) about. They're very friendly." They told us healthcare needs were taken care of and "They take (name of person) to the GP when needed."

The building was well maintained and a range of checks and servicing took place to make sure it met safety standards. Fire safety checks were undertaken. However, we have made a recommendation to improve these checks to ensure people are adequately protected against the risk of fire.

Staff had been recruited using thorough processes. They received a structured induction and were appropriately supported through supervision and training.

People received the support they needed with their healthcare needs, such as accessing GPs, dentists and hospital specialists. Staff handled people’s medicines on their behalf. Appropriate records were maintained to show when medicines had been given to people. Audits were undertaken to identify any discrepancies and to resolve these promptly. We found one out of date medicine. We have made a recommendation about monitoring expiry dates of medicines used for occasional use.

People’s needs were recorded in care plans. These were personalised and had been kept up to date. Risk assessments had been written to identify and reduce the risk of people being harmed during the provision of their care. For example, when they were assisted to move.

People’s care was monitored by the provider to make sure it met their needs and was safe. Records of audits showed improvements had been made where they were needed. The registered manager was aware of when they needed to inform us about notifiable incidents and had taken appropriate action in response to these.