About the service: Blythe House is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 10 younger adults who are living with a learning disability Ten people were living in the home on the day of the inspection. There were deliberately no identifying signs to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing clothing that suggested they worked on the premises.

People’s experience of using this service: The provider safeguarded people from abuse. Staff recognised and reported concerns. Relevant risk assessments were completed. Accidents and incidents were monitored to identify and address trends and reduce risk.

People were supported to have their medicines safely. The service was involved in STOMP (stopping over medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both with psychotropic medicines). People’s medicines had been reduced helping them stay well and have a good quality of life.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk.

There were enough staff to care for people. People asked for assistance from staff when they wanted it. Staff recruitment was safe and staff received the training they needed to develop the skills they required. Staff received regular supervision, an annual appraisal and delivered person-centred care.

People’s rights were protected. Staff gained consent before delivering care tasks. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right 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 supported this practice.

People's communication preferences were supported and they made their own decisions. People spent their time doing things they enjoyed, which maximised their time spent in the local community. One person who wanted to work in retail had gained work experience in a national store and others had taken part in horse riding and winter sports.

Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink. People had access to health care and support from other health and social care professionals, which ensured good health outcomes.

People's preferences and the views of their relatives were considered when care was assessed, planned and reviewed. End of life plans had been discussed and were in place for some people in the service.

There was an open culture. the registered manager was approachable. They addressed complaints to make improvements.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report was published 04 July 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

We carried out this announced inspection of Blythe House 27 May 2016.

Blythe House is situated in the village of Faldingworth, approximately 10 miles from Lincoln. The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 10 younger adults who experience needs related to learning disabilities. Nine people were living in the home on the day of the inspection.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered

necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves. During the inspection we found that the registered manager and staff acted in accordance with MCA and DoLS guidance to ensure people’s legal rights were respected and upheld.

People and the staff who supported them interacted well and staff ensured people were supported in a safe way. Staff knew how to report any concerns they had for people’s safety and how to protect them from the risk of abuse. Risks to people’s health, safety and welfare had been assessed and planned for and medicines were managed in a safe way.

There were enough staff employed to work in the home so as to ensure people received all of the support they needed and wanted. Staff received training and support which helped them to understand people’s needs. The provider had systems in place to assure themselves that staff were suitable to work in the home.

People were treated with kindness and care by staff who knew them very well. Their right to privacy was upheld and their dignity was respected. They received support which took account of their individual lifestyle choices and were supported to enjoy a range of interests and activities.

People and those who were important to them were involved in planning for the support they received and how the home was run. They were also encouraged to express their views and opinions about the service and there was a system for managing complaints.

The provider and the registered manager maintained systems to check the quality of the services and support they provided for people and took action to improve the services where any shortfalls were identified.

Some people living at the home had complex needs and were not able to verbally communicate their views and experiences to us. One person, who was able to give their views verbally, told us they liked living at Blythe House and that the care, the food, and the home itself were ‘awesome’. Other people appeared happy and relaxed.

We saw that people got on well with the staff team who used a variety of communications skills to interact with them. The atmosphere in the home was lively with people taking part in a range of activities including guitar lessons, trampolining, and helping staff in the kitchen.

Relatives said they were pleased with the care the home provided. One relative told us, “Blythe House is fantastic and I have total peace of mind knowing my (family member) is being cared for so well and is happy there.”

Relatives said they were satisfied with all aspects of the service including nutrition, medication management, the quality of the staff team, and the premises. Comments included, “the home is excellent in every way” and “the staff are expert in meeting the needs of the people who live at the home.”

Some people living at the home had complex needs and were not able to verbally communicate their views and experiences to us. We were able to speak with two people who used the service. They told us they liked living at the home and we received comments such as, “It’s alright here” and “It’s awesome.”

The atmosphere in the home was relaxed and during our observation we saw frequent positive and friendly interaction between staff and people who used the service. We saw people were given choices and supported to make decisions.Staff took their time to understand people where they had communication difficulties.

After the inspection visit, we spoke with the relatives of two people who used the service to gain further information about the quality of care. They told us they were satisfied with the standards of care and their relatives were happy living at Blythe House.