This inspection took place on 13 October 2016 and was announced. Birches Grove provides accommodation for four people who require personal care. There were four people were living in the home at the time of our inspection. The home provided personal care and support for people with learning disabilities.

Birches Grove is set in a quiet residential area. It had a lounge/dining room area, kitchen and four bedrooms upstairs. People could freely move around the home and had access to a secure and private back garden.

A new manager had been appointed. They were in process of applying to be the registered manager which is required by the homes conditions of registration. 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 told us they enjoyed living at Birches Grove. Staff approached people in a kind and caring manner. They ensured people received care and support in accordance to their preferences and needs. Their privacy and dignity were respected. People enjoyed arrange of activities. Some people were independent in the community and had a part time job or volunteered. Others enjoyed activities with the support of staff.

People were supported by staff who had been trained and supported to carry out their role. Systems were in place to check the criminal and employment backgrounds of new staff to ensure they were of good character. The staffing levels of the home were adjusted according to people’s health and social support needs.

Staff had been suitably trained in subjects such as safeguarding, fire safety and managing challenging behaviour. They were confident in their abilities. Staff told us they felt trained to carry out their role and were aware of their responsibilities to ensure people were kept safe and to report any concerns.

People’s care and support needs and associated risks were assessed and documented. People received the care and support they needed. Measures were in place to support people and allow them to undertake new opportunities. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure people’s needs were being met.

People’s medicines were managed safely. Some people were supported to manage their own medicines. Their care records provided staff with information about their background, levels of independence and their support requirements. People were supported to make decisions about their care. The managers recognised that people care plans needed to be thoroughly reviewed and updated. Plans were in place to review people’s care plans to ensure they reflected everyone’s needs and consent to their care.

A new manager was in post. They had gained a good understanding of the home and the actions they needed to take to ensure people received high quality care and staff were trained and supported. Quality monitoring systems were in place to check and address any shortfalls in the service. Most identified shortfalls had been acted on. People’s views and opinions were listened to. There were opportunities for people to raise concerns. Complaints were investigated and acted on by the manager.

People living at the home told us that they were involved in discussions about menu planning, activities and holidays through 'Your Voice' meetings. These meetings were held monthly and we saw that minutes were kept of these meetings.

People told us they were supported to be involved in everyday household activities. One person said, "Today I've been emptying the bins and polishing. I do my clothes washing on a Monday and my bed linen on a Friday." Another person said, "We do chores, we're so busy."

Staff that we spoke with had a good understanding of how they would protect people's privacy and dignity, and we saw this in their interactions with people living at the home. One person told us, "They knock on the door before they come in," and another said, "They treat me with respect."

People told us they liked living at the home. One person said, "I like it here. It suits me. I like being independent and going out. I like my own life. It's a very good home." Another person said, "I'm really happy. You can cook your own food and the staff are all nice. They give advice out. I plan my own meals."

People living at the home told us they felt safe there. They knew how to raise concerns both formally and informally. They also told us they felt they would be supported if they did raise a concern. One person said, "I can talk to any of the staff. They would listen. I feel very safe here."

People told us that staff knew how to provide appropriate care for them as individuals. One person said, "The staff understand my needs. They come quickly if I call." Another said, "They know what support I need."

People told us that staff often asked them for informal feedback about the quality of the care they were receiving. One person said, "Staff keep asking me if I'm okay."

We found that people were accustomed to expressing their views and knew what support they could expect from staff at the home. One person said “everything is going according to plan”.

We sampled records for three of the four people living at the home and found that risk assessments and care plans had been reviewed regularly. Our observations and discussions with staff and people who used the service demonstrated that care plans were being followed. Appropriate support had been sought from health professionals to make sure that people's needs were being met.

People were protected against the risk of abuse as people using the service were confident in raising their concerns and staff responded appropriately to them. One person told us, “Staff listen to us”.

Appropriate checks had been carried out before staff started work at the home. One person said they were “...happy with all the staff…they are kind and caring”. Supervision had been carried out with new staff members during their induction to ensure they knew what was expected of them and they had the information they needed to perform their role.

Quality monitoring was carried out at regular intervals in the home and an action plan was being completed to address identified shortfalls. Although there was no registered manager at the home at the time of the inspection the provider had made suitable arrangements to manage the service.