Blakeney House is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Blakeney House accommodates up to nine adults who have a learning disability and who may also have an autistic spectrum disorder and mental health needs. Blakeney House is a large detached house situated in a quiet residential area in Southend on Sea and close to all amenities and facilities. The premises is set out on two floors with each person using the service having their own individual bedroom and adequate communal facilities are available for people to make use of within the service.

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 the last inspection on 15 January 2016, the service was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

This inspection was completed on 13 December 2017 and 8 January 2018 and there were seven people living at Blakeney House.

A registered manager was 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.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

• Suitable arrangements were in place to keep people safe. Policies and procedures were followed by staff to safeguard people and staff understood these measures. Risks to people were identified and managed to prevent people from receiving unsafe care and support. The service was appropriately staffed to meet the needs of the people using the service. People received their medication as prescribed and in a safe way. Recruitment procedures were followed to ensure the right staff were employed. People were protected by the providers arrangements for the prevention and control of infection. Arrangements were in place for learning and making improvements when things go wrong.

• Staff had a thorough induction to carry out their role and responsibilities effectively. Staff had the right competencies and skills to meet people’s needs and received regular training opportunities. Suitable arrangements were in place for staff to receive regular formal supervision. People’s nutritional and hydration needs were met and they were provided with drinks and snacks throughout the day. People received appropriate healthcare support as and when needed from a variety of professional services. The service worked together with other organisations to ensure people received coordinated care and support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

• People were treated with care, kindness, dignity and respect. People received a good level of care and support that met their needs and preferences. Staff had a good knowledge and understanding of people’s specific care and support needs and how they wished to be cared for and supported, including end of life care.

• Support plans were in place to reflect how people would like to receive their care and support, and covered all aspects of a person's individual circumstances. Social activities were available for people to enjoy and experience both ‘in house’ and within the local community. Information about how to make a complaint was available and people’s representatives told us they we

The inspection was completed on 15 January 2016 and there were nine people living in the service when we inspected.

Blakeney House is one of many services owned by Consensus Support Services Limited. The service provides accommodation and personal care for up to ten people who have a learning disability and/or who have a diagnosis of autism.

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.

Staff had a good understanding and knowledge of safeguarding procedures and were clear about the actions they would take to protect the people they supported.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs. Appropriate recruitment checks were in place which helped to protect people and ensure staff were suitable to work at the service. Staff told us that they felt well supported in their role and received regular supervision.

Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were appropriately assessed, managed and reviewed. Support plans were sufficiently detailed and provided an accurate description of people’s care and support needs. People were supported to maintain good healthcare and had access to a range of healthcare services. The management of medicines within the service ensured people’s safety.

Appropriate assessments had been carried out where people living at the service were not able to make decisions for themselves and to help ensure their rights were protected.

People were supported to be able to eat and drink satisfactory amounts to meet their nutritional needs and the mealtime experience for people was positive.

People were treated with kindness and respect by staff. Staff understood people’s needs and provided care and support accordingly. Staff had a good relationship with the people they supported.

An effective system was in place to respond to complaints and concerns. The provider’s quality assurance arrangements were appropriate to ensure that, where improvements to the quality of the service was identified, these were addressed.

We found that people had given their consent to their care and treatment where they were able to. There were systems in place to ensure that people’s consent was reviewed on a regular basis. We saw that people’s needs had been fully assessed, taking into account their cultural, religious and individual needs. Their care plans had been developed from the information in the assessment. They were person centred and reflected people’s individuality, choice and preferences. We saw that people had choices of food and drink that met their diverse needs. We found that there was some repetition in meals and that some of the nutrition records had not been fully completed. There was plenty of healthy nutritious food available to ensure that people received a healthy balanced diet.

People received their medicines safely because staff ordered, received, stored and handled them appropriately. The service had effective recruitment procedures in place. They had carried out all of the appropriate checks before staff started work. People received their care and treatment from staff that had been properly trained, supported and supervised. People’s concerns, complaints and comments were listened to and acted upon effectively. The provider had a good complaints system in place which provided people with sufficient information on how to complain. People received safe, effective and compassionate care from a well led service that responds quickly to their changing needs.

The people we met during this inspection had complex needs and some people were unable to tell us verbally about their experiences. Due to this we mainly used observation to help us understand their experience of the service they received. We also looked at care records and gained feedback from staff about each person care.

Three of the four people we spoke with told us that they were well cared for by staff.

One person we spoke with told us that they felt safe living at Blakeney House.

The majority of people we met during this inspection had complex needs and some people were unable to tell us verbally about their experiences. Due to this we mainly used observation to help us understand their experience of the service they received. We also looked at care records and gained feedback from staff about each person’s care.

Those people we spoke with told us that they were very happy living at the service and that they felt safe and well cared for. They told us that they were able to make decisions about how they were cared for and supported.

People's health and personal care needs were assessed and there were detailed care plans for staff to follow to ensure that people were supported safely, effectively and in accordance with people's individual wishes. Staff were trained and supported to care for people properly.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities for safeguarding people from abuse or harm and people told us that they felt safe and well cared for.

There were arrangements in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service and people had the opportunity to be involved in how the service was managed and to make comments and suggestions for improvements.