We inspected this service on 10 August 2015. This was an unannounced inspection. Our last inspection took place in June 2013 and at that time we found the home was meeting the regulations that we checked them against.

Blurton Road is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to three people. People who use the service have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection three people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People’s safety was maintained because risks were assessed and planned for and the staff understood how to keep people safe. An educative approach was used to help people learn how to stay safe and healthy.

People’s medicines were managed safely, which meant people received the medicines they needed when they needed them. People were enabled to administer their own medicines when this was appropriate.

There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to meet people’s needs and promote people’s safety. Staff received regular training that provided them with the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs.

People’s health and wellbeing needs were met and people were supported to attend health appointments as required. People could access suitable amounts of food and drink that met their individual preferences.

People’s consent was sought before staff provided care and support. Staff understood how to ensure people’s rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were being followed.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect and staff promoted people’s independence and right to privacy.

People were involved in the assessment and review of their care and staff supported and encouraged people to access the community and participate in activities that were important to them.

People’s feedback was sought and used to improve the care. People knew how to make a complaint and complaints were managed in accordance with the provider’s complaints policy.

There was a positive atmosphere at the home and people and staff enjoyed living and working with each other.

The registered manager and provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure standards were met and maintained. The registered manager understood the requirements of their registration with us.

During our inspection we spoke with two people who used the service, two members of staff and the registered manager. People told us they were happy with the care they received. One person told us, “I am happy with the support I receive. I don’t need any more or any less”. Another person said, “I like living here because we have a good laugh and the staff tell us jokes”.

People told us they were involved in the planning of their care and support. We saw that people were offered choices around what they wanted to do and their choices were respected.

We saw people getting the support they had agreed to receive by staff who promoted their independence.

People told us they chose what to eat and drink and we saw that people were supported to eat and drink a healthy and balanced diet.

People were protected against the risk of abuse because staff were aware of how to identify and report concerns about people’s safety and welfare. The provider also had systems in place to ensure that staff were suitable to work with the people who used the service.

We spoke with three people using this service, two relatives and four members of staff. People using the service told us that they like living in the home. One person said, “I like living with my friends, I wouldn’t like to live on my own”. Another person said, “We are very independent here, staff help us just enough”. Relatives that we spoke with told us that they were happy with the care provided. One relative said, “I am happy with where X is and X is happy, we have no concerns”.

During our inspection we saw that people were supported to make decisions and were involved in the planning of their care. We saw that people were supported to engage in appropriate community activities and that their independence was promoted.

We observed people receiving care and treatment by staff who had the required knowledge and skills to provide the level of care that people required. Care records were accurate, up to date and were stored securely.

We saw that there was an effective complaints system in place which people using the service and their relatives were aware of.

We saw that there was a system in place to enable people to receive agreed medications should they need them.

We carried out this inspection because we had not visited the service for some time and we did not have enough information about the service to assess compliance. We wanted to see what life was like for the people who lived in the home.

134 Blurton Road provides accommodation for up to three people who hope to move into a more independent setting eventually. The service is registered as a care home and is supported by the manager and a staff team who are based at another home nearby. Our visit was arranged at short notice with people using the service and the manager.

During the visit we spoke with the manager, a member of staff and all people living at the home, we also spoke with a representative of the provider. We contacted two family members following the visit to ask them about the service their relatives received.

People told us they could make choices and were involved in the running of the home, they showed us how they organised their day and got involved in domestic tasks within the home. People were clear about their aims and aspirations for the future and how their time at 134 Blurton Road, prepared them for this.

Relatives told us, "We have nothing but praise for the support our relative receives from the manager and the staff. We never thought that our relative could live as independently as they do and can't thank the service enough."