About the service: Brinton Care Home is a service which supported people with learning disabilities and/or autism; and the service was registered to care for five people and five people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways through promotion of choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

¿ Staff knew how to recognise potential abuse and who they should report any concerns to. People had access to equipment that reduced the risk of harm. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

¿ People had a choice of food and were supported to maintain a healthy diet in line with their needs and preferences. Staff were trained to meet people’s needs and acted promptly to refer people to healthcare professionals when required.

¿ People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible;

¿ People enjoyed positive and caring relationships with the staff team and were treated with kindness and respect. People’s independence was promoted by staff.

¿ People were supported by staff who knew about their needs and routines and ensured these were met and respected. People knew how to complain and were confident that their concerns would be listened to.

¿ People and staff were happy with the way the service was led and managed and the provider worked well with partners to ensured people’s needs were met.

¿ Service management and leadership was consistent and any areas for improvements were identified. The registered manager assurance people’s views and experiences were gathered, and any improvements made.

¿ We found the service met the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas; More information is available in the full report

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 6 May 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on previous rating.

Follow up: There will be ongoing monitoring.

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

Brinton Care Home is registered to provide care and accommodation to up to five people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection five people were living there.

The inspection took place on the 11 and 14 March 2016 and was unannounced. The visit on the 14 March was for a short period of time to clarify on a matter unresolved on the first day of the inspection which took all day.

At the time of our inspection a manager was in post and was on duty throughout our inspection. 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.

People responded positively to staff while they provided care and support for them. Staff were seen to support people in a kind and caring way and communicated with people in a friendly way. People were supported by staff who were aware of their responsibility to report any abuse. Relatives of people told us they believed their family member to be safe living at the home and had no concerns about the care provided. Information was available for people to refer to regarding safeguarding. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed and protocols were in place for people who took their medicines on an as and when basis.

People had access to healthcare professionals to maintain their health and well-being. However staff had not always carried out directions regarding medical tests to ensure peoples welfare was maintained as instructed by healthcare professionals. Although staff received regular training their knowledge regarding the results of these medical tests and the action needed was not always in place.

People received care and support from staff who were supported by the registered manager and were able to seek guidance on aspects of people’s care and support. Staff enjoyed working for the provider. Staff were able to attend staff meetings during which people’s care needs as well as practices within the home were discussed. The suitability of new staff members was checked before they started working for the provider.

People’s consent was obtained by staff before care and support was provided. Best interests were considered when people were unable to make decisions for themselves. People’s relatives and suitable professionals were involved in these decisions. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and people were encouraged to make choices about how they spent their time.

People were supported to do things they enjoyed doing in the home and in the wider community.

The quality of the care provided was checked and reviewed by the registered manager and the provider. Where improvements were identified these were carried out.

We inspected Brinton Care Home and spoke with two of the people who lived at the home and with four of the staff on duty. We spent some time in communal areas and observed the interaction between staff and people who used the service.

We looked at care records for two people and other supporting documents for the service. Staff told us that: “It’s very homely here” and: “Activities are planned, but that can change, it’s up to them”. We saw that staff arranged a shopping trip following a request from one person. Staff were able to listen and act in accordance with the persons wishes. This meant that people were listened to and had a choice about the care and welfare they received.

People’s needs had been assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. Staff told us they were aware of each person’s needs and how to give care and support to meet those needs. When asked people told us: “Yes” they liked living there.

We saw that people looked comfortable in their home and with the staff that supported them. We saw that staff were kind and caring in their approach to people who lived in the home.

Records we saw had been reviewed and updated and kept securely to protect the information held about the people who lived at Brinton Care Home.

We were not able to speak with most people during our inspection. We observed how staff interacted with people to support them in making decisions about their lifestyles. We saw that staff respected the decisions that people made. We spoke with a person who had recently moved into the home. They said, "I like living here."

The two care files that we reviewed indicated that arrangements had been made to support people in receiving their health care needs. The care files included information about people's preferences about activities and accessing the community and how they were met. From discussions held with staff we found that people were well supported in leading a varied lifestyle that suited their individual preferences.

People were encouraged and supported to do things for themselves but were given choices. One person told us, "Just going out to buy a newspaper."

We found that systems were in place to keep people safe. Staff had received training in safeguarding people and knew how to respond to concerns. We found that effective staff recruitment procedures were in place so that people were protected from potential risks of harm.

One person we spoke with told us they knew how to make a complaint. Staff told us if necessary, they would assist people who had communication difficulties in making a complaint. We found that the registered manager had a comprehensive quality assurance system in place.