Brighton Road is a residential care service that provides accommodation for up to 15 individuals with a range of needs including mild to moderate learning disabilities. Accommodation is provided over three floors with two lounges and a dining room on the ground floor with access to the rear garden. At the time of our inspection 10 people were using the service.

At our last inspection in July 2015 the service was rated as good. At this inspection we found the service continued to meet the regulations and fundamental standards and remained good.

Information was available to people to explain what they should do if they felt unhappy or did not feel safe. Staff were aware what to do in these situations and had received appropriate training to help keep people safe.

Staff discussed risk in the home and in the community with people so together they could look at how to reduce risk but still encourage people’s independence. Staff we spoke with had a good knowledge of people’s achievements and worked hard to continually encourage and support people to achieve their goals and aspirations.

People were cared for by staff who received appropriate training and support to do their job well. Staff felt supported by managers. There were enough staff to support people to live a full, active and independent life as possible at Brighton Road and in the community.

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 home supported this practice. Staff knew how to communicate effectively with each individual according to their needs. People were relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. Staff supported people in a way which was kind, caring, and respectful and encouraged people to follow their own activities and interests.

People were supported to keep healthy and well. They were supported to attend appointments with GP’s and other healthcare professionals when they needed to. Medicines were stored safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. People were involved in their food and drink choices and meals were prepared taking account of people’s health, cultural and religious needs.

Care records focused on people as individuals and gave clear information to people and staff. People were encouraged to make decisions about their care and support needs. These were reviewed with them regularly by staff.

The provider had a number of audits and quality assurance systems to help them understand the quality of the care and support people received and look at ways to continually improve the service.

People said, 'I pretty much do what I like, I love helping at the farm and horse riding.'' We observed that people were spoken to in a respectful and dignified way. There was evidence to show that people’s permission was appropriately sought about their care and daily activities.

People’s needs were assessed and the care plans we saw showed that their individual circumstances and been considered through the direct involvement of the person using the service.

The assessment of people's needs included the identification of any risks and how people could be supported to minimise the risk whilst promoting the person's independence. One relative we spoke with said, things here are not too formal it’s like a real person's home. I wish we had used the service sooner.''

We saw that there were appropriate arrangements in place to handle medicines safely and securely.

Staff had been selected and recruited using procedures that complied with legislation about employment and protected the welfare and safety of the people using the service.

We saw that records were fit for purpose and kept secure in an accessible way that allowed them to be located quickly when required.

During our inspection we spoke to six out of the twelve people who lived at 47-49 Brighton Road. People told us they were happy with the quality of the care and support they received at the home. People also told us staff were always kind, and helped them to do as much for themselves as they could. During our visit we saw staff treated people who use the service with the utmost respect and courtesy. We also saw staff actively supported people to maintain their independent living skills, as well as make informed decisions about how they lived their daily lives. Typical feedback we received from people who use the service, included “I am happy living here and I like all the people that live and in my house”, “I am glad I moved here; it’s better than the last place I lived”, and “I feel safe here because the staff look after me”.

We also found people received effective and safe care from suitably trained and experienced staff that were familiar with individual’s needs and preferences. The provider had effective systems in place to routinely assess and monitor the quality of the care and support people received.

In this report the name of the home’s former registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a Registered Manager on our register at the time.

Our inspection took place on 7and 8 July 2015 and was unannounced.

Brighton Road is a residential care service that provides accommodation for up to 15 individuals with mild to moderate learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection 11 people were using the service. At our last inspection in February 2014 the service was meeting the regulations inspected.

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 helped make sure people were safe at Brighton Road and in the community by looking at the risks they may face and by taking steps to reduce those risks.

People were cared for by staff who received appropriate training and support to do their job well. Staff felt supported by managers. There were enough staff to support people to live a full, active and independent life as possible at Brighton Road and in the community.

People were offered choices, supported to feel involved and staff knew how to communicate effectively with each individual according to their needs. People were relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. Staff supported people in a way which was kind, caring, and respectful.

Staff helped people to keep healthy and well, they supported people to attend appointments with GP’s and other healthcare professionals when they needed to. Medicines were stored safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. People were involved in their food and drink choices and meals were prepared taking account of people’s health, cultural and religious needs.

Care records focused on people as individuals and gave clear information to people and staff using a variety of photographs, easy to read and pictorial information. People were appropriately supported by staff to make decisions about their care and support needs. These were reviewed with them regularly by staff.

Staff encouraged people to follow their own activities and interests. Relatives told us they felt comfortable raising any concerns they had with staff and knew how to make a complaint if needed.

The provider regularly sought people’s and staff’s views about how the care and support they received could be improved. There were systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service that people experienced.