Brooklyn House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The registered provider, Bridge Pole Limited, operates a service providing support to younger adults with a learning disability in the community. Brooklyn House provides respite care [short stay] care to those people who also receive support in the community. Brooklyn House is a two bedroom property in a residential area of the city. The registered provider also operates Norwood. This is a three bed property offering short stays to people who are also supported in the community. People receiving support may stay at Brooklyn House or Norwood. The staff employed work at either location and also support people in the community. Brooklyn House and Norwood share the same policies and procedures, registered manager and staffing.

At the time of this inspection, 19 people used Brooklyn House for short stays, up to two people at any one time.

We were unable to fully communicate directly with some people receiving support. We spoke with their relatives to obtain their views of the support provided.

At our last inspection, we rated the service Good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

People receiving support and their relatives told us they were confident they or their family member was safe.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities in keeping people safe.

Policies and procedures for the safe administration of medicines were in place.

There were robust recruitment procedures in operation to promote people’s safety.

Staff were provided with relevant training, supervision and appraisal so they had the skills they needed to undertake their role.

People receiving support and their relatives felt staff had the right skills to do their job. They said staff were respectful and caring in their approach.

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 support plans contained relevant person centred information to inform staff. The support plans had been reviewed to ensure they were up to date.

People were confident in reporting concerns to the registered manager and felt they would be listened to.

There were quality assurance and audit processes in place to make sure the service was running well.

The service had a full range of policies and procedures available to staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Brooklyn House is a registered service providing accommodation personal care and support, on a short stay basis, for up to two adults with a learning disability. The service focuses on promoting people's independent living skills. The service is situated within a residential area of Frecheville and has good bus service links to the city centre.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with CQC. 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.

This is the first inspection of Brooklyn House. The service was registered with CQC in February 2014.

This inspection took place on 7 December 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of our inspection because the location was a small care home for people who are often out during the day; we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

On the day of our inspection there were two people being supported at Brooklyn House.

At this inspection we found that people who used this service were safe. The support staff knew how to identify if a person may be at risk of harm and the action to take if they had concerns about a person’s safety.

There were sufficient staff, with appropriate experience, training and skills to meet people’s needs.

Staff recruitment procedures were thorough and ensured people’s safety was promoted.

We found the home was clean, with no obvious hazards noticeable, such as the unsafe storage of chemicals or fire safety risks.

Systems for managing medicines were safe.

Stakeholders and health professionals contacted before the inspection said they had no concerns about the safety of people or care and support people received at Brooklyn House. A health professional spoken with told us, “This service is well regarded by the family’s they support.”

Staff knew the people they were supporting very well and the choices they had made about their care, support and their lives.

People who used the service said they could speak with a manager or staff if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.

People participated in a range of daily activities both in and outside of the home which were meaningful and promoted independence.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular

checks and audits were undertaken to make sure procedures to maintain safe practice were adhered to.

People and their relatives had been asked their opinion of the quality of the service via surveys and by the regular meetings with the registered manager.