This inspection took place on 7 June 2017 and was unannounced. It was carried out by one adult social care inspector. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered by the Care Quality Commission in October 2016.

Branch House provides accommodation with personal care for up to four people. The home specialises in providing a service to adults who have a learning disability or associated mental health needs. There are large private gardens and parking. The home is staffed 24 hours a day.

At the time of our inspection there were three people living at the home. Some people were not able to tell us about their experiences of life at the home so we therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.

There was 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.

The philosophy of the service was “To support individuals to reach their own level of independence and develop personal skills. To ensure people have freedom to express opinions and encourage full participation in the running of the home.” Through our observations and discussions with staff it was evident that this ethos had been fully adopted and promoted by the staff team.

There was a very happy and relaxed atmosphere in the home and people looked relaxed and content with the staff who supported them. Staff understood people’s needs and preferences and engaged with each person in a way that was most appropriate to them. A person who lived at the home told us “I love it. I am very happy here. I like the staff; they are my friends.” Another person smiled and gave thumbs up when we asked them about the staff and whether they were happy living at the home.

There were enough staff deployed to help keep people safe. People were supported to live the life they chose with reduced risks to themselves or others. There was an emphasis on supporting people to develop and maintain independent living skills in a safe way.

There were policies and procedures which helped to reduce the risks of harm or abuse to the people who lived at the home. These were understood and followed by staff. These included recognising and reporting abuse, the management of people’s finances, staff recruitment and the management of people’s medicines.

People were supported by a caring staff team who knew them well. Staff spoke with great affection when they told us about the people they supported.

People were always asked for their consent before staff assisted them with any tasks and staff knew the procedures to follow to make sure people’s legal and human rights were protected.

People and the people close to them were involved in developing and reviewing the care they received. Each person had a care plan which detailed their needs, abilities and preferences. These had been regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s needs and aspirations.

People accessed various activities in the home and local community. People were supported to maintain contact with the important people in their lives.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of service people received.