Birmingham Rathbone provides personal care for adults with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder or mental health needs. People receive support in their own homes or in two supported living services operated by the provider. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 21 people. At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People who used the service were safe. Staff demonstrated that they were aware of the action to take should they suspect that someone was being abused and the risks associated with people’s specific conditions. There were enough staff to meet people’s care and support needs promptly. People received their medicines when they needed them.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. People were supported to have the maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in line with their wishes.

People were supported to eat meals they enjoyed. Staff provided advice and guidance to help people choose healthy meal options. People were supported to make use of the services of a variety of mental and physical health professionals.

People told us that staff were caring. Staff spoke fondly about the people they supported. People were supported by regular staff who understood their preferred communication styles and assisted them when necessary to express their views. Staff promoted people’s independence and respected their privacy.

Staff supported people to engage in activities they enjoyed. People’s care and support was planned in partnership with them so their care plans reflected their views and wishes. People were supported to set and achieve goals which enhanced their wellbeing. People told us that staff were approachable and would take action if they were not happy or had a complaint.

People told us that the service was well run. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities to the commission. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt valued. People had the opportunity to influence and develop the service they received. The provider and registered manager made checks to help ensure that the standard of care was maintained and improved upon where possible.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 19 and 26 February 2015. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our visit so that we could make sure that the relevant people would be available to facilitate the inspection.

This service provides care and support to people who have learning disabilities so that they can live in their own homes in the community. At the time of our inspection 21 people were using the service.

There is a registered manager at this service. 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 using this service told us that they felt safe. They expressed confidence that the staff would respond and help them if they reported abuse. There were good systems for making sure that staff reported any allegation or suspicion of poor practice and staff were aware of the possible signs and symptoms of abuse.

People told us that they were happy with the service provided and staff helped them to develop skills and to be as independent as possible. They said that they decided how they wanted to live their lives and staff helped them to put this into practice.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Staff working in this service understood the needs and aspirations of the people for whom they provided care and support.

Staff were appropriately trained and skilled to provide care and support to people. They all received an induction when they started work for the service and they understood their roles and responsibilities. The staff had also completed relevant training to make sure that the care provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) states what must be done to ensure that the rights of people who may lack mental capacity to make decisions are protected.The MCA Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) requires providers to submit applications to the Court of Protection for authority to deprive someone of their liberty. The registered manager and staff we spoke with understood the principles of protecting the legal and civil rights of people using the service. We did not find anyone being deprived of their liberty.

The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care consistently. There were good systems for the supervision of staff. There was an open and inclusive culture where the manager valued the views of staff and people who used the service. People who used the service were included in decisions at all levels, including their own care and support, the selection of staff and how the service was run.

The registered manager encouraged feedback from people who used the service, their family members, advocates and professional visitors, which she used to make improvements to the service.