The inspection took place on the 19 July 2018 and was announced.

51 Rutland Gardens provides tailored support packages for people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. At the time of the inspection six people were living in the service, but one person was absent during the inspection. People had their own flat and shared the communal facilities. The service is situated in a residential area with easy access to local amenities and transport links.

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.

The staff team continued to provide an outstanding caring service to people. People and their relatives were all extremely positive about the care and support that was delivered. Staff went the extra mile to support people’s social needs and help develop their independence and life skills. They creatively supported people to maintain and foster interests that were important to them. People were central to the innovative practices involved in the planning and reviews of their support.

Staff spoke with pride and passion about the way people were cared for. Staff continuously looked-for ways to improve people's care and support so they received positive experiences and led fulfilling lives. A member of the staff told us, “We care a lot. We are their family. We offer guidance and someone to rely on, and they trust us. It’s important that they get everything they need.” A relative told us staff were very good at, “Getting to know the people who live there and engaging with them, finding things that may interest them, so they have a regular social and activity lives outside the service. (Person’s name) already has a great range of activities to go to.”

People told us they had continued to feel involved and listened to. The culture of the service remained open and inclusive and encouraged staff to see beyond each person's support needs. The provider had clear values which the registered manager and staff promoted. The registered manager showed drive and passion, ensuring the service was continually improving and striving to be outstanding, with people at the heart of the service.

Systems had been maintained to keep people safe. Sufficient numbers of suitable staff had been maintained to keep people safe and meet their care and support needs. People remained protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report it. People’s care and support plans and risk assessments continued to be developed and reviewed regularly. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff had the knowledge and skills to provide the care and support that people needed. Staff told us they had received supervision and appraisal’s. They continued to be supported to develop their skills and knowledge by receiving training which helped them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.

The provider continued to have safe arrangements in place for the safe administration of medicines. People were supported to have their medicine safely when they needed it. People were protected by the infection control procedures in place.

People continued to live in a service with a relaxed and homely feel. They were supported by k

In this report the name of a 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.

During our visit to 51 Rutland Gardens we were told that people who use the service were enabled and encouraged to make choices about their daily lives and that they were supported to do this in a way that ensured their safety and wellbeing.

We spoke with three people who use the service and a parent of a person who uses the service. People we spoke with told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person told us that "I couldn't ask for a better home." Another person told us "Staff are brilliant." A parent we spoke with told us "She has blossomed since living here, she's become her own person. It's brilliant."

We saw that people were engaged with activities in their local community and that they were supported in the development of their social, communication and life skills. We saw that people who use the service attended various activities such as choirs, swimming, activities centres and drama groups.

Staff we spoke with told us they were happy with the quality of care and support they were able to give people and that they felt supported to do this. One worker told us "We really get to promote people's independence. I'm very proud of the home."

We spent most of the inspection listening and talking to the six people that lived at the home. People told us about us about their lives, what they did and how much they had achieved since living at 51 Rutland Gardens. People told us that this was the “best place out of 100” they had ever lived at.

We saw that everyone was encouraged and supported to reach their individual goals and aspirations. People had been supported to make choices in their lives and to learn daily living skills so that they could be as independent as they wished.

People’s health and welfare was promoted and people were encouraged to make changes to their lives that promoted and improved their health such as making healthy meals and exercising.

Risk of abuse to people was minimised through staff training and risk management plans. Staff were knowledgeable about the types of abuse that might occur and helped raise awareness in the people they were supporting to help them to safeguard themselves. People told us they felt “more confident to speak out” if they were worried.

Relatives said that the staff were skilled at their job. Staff received training that helped them meet the needs of the people they supported. Staff received support from the manager through a programme of regular supervision and annual appraisals.

The service had systems in place to review the quality of the service. People contributed to decisions about the running of the service through meetings and surveys.

We inspected Care Management Group 51 Rutland Gardens on the 22 September 2015. The service provides supported living to people living in a residential area of Hove. The service supported six people at the time of our inspection. The service provided 24 hour support for adults with a learning disability. The Care Quality Commission inspects the care and support the service provides, but does not inspect the accommodation people live in.

This inspection was announced which meant the registered manager and staff knew we were coming shortly before we visited the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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.

People told us they felt safe and were happy living there. One person told us, “Yes, of course I feel safe here, because the staff look after me”. We saw people were aided by staff who knew them well, gave them individual support and looked at providing additional assistance as and when required.

The service had safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff were knowledgeable and trained in safeguarding and what action they should take if they suspected abuse was taking place. This helped protect people from the likelihood of abuse or neglect. Recruitment procedures were robust and only suitably vetted staff were employed to work in the service.

People and their relatives spoke positively of the service. People and their relatives all commented on the warm, friendly attitude of all staff. We were told, “I am feeling much better here now, very well. I was not good in my last place so it is nice to know that I am accepted here and it is good for me mentally and has helped me a lot.” Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and their individual preferences.

Medicines were managed safely in accordance with current regulations and guidance. There were systems in place to ensure that medicines had been stored, administered, audited and reviewed appropriately.

Staff and the registered manager were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They were aware this legislation protected the rights of people who lacked capacity to make decisions about their care and welfare.

Staff received training to support them with their role on a continuous basis to ensure they could meet people’s needs effectively.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were met exceptionally well so that people enjoyed eating and drinking and maintained a healthy lifestyle. Each person planned their individual menu for the week with staff support. Comments about the mealtime experience were positive.

The staff team was dedicated to providing an outstanding service to people. People and their relatives were all extremely positive about the support that was delivered. They went the extra mile to support people’s social needs. They creatively supported people to maintain and foster interests and relationships that were important to them. People were central to the innovative practices involved in the planning and reviews of their support.

People were supported as individuals and encouraged to explore ways they could maintain and extend their independence. Five people voted for the first time in the General Election. They were helped to understand the voting process by sharing and discussing easy read information that was then used as the basis for by meeting and discussions.

People told us they were exceptionally well supported to maintain their independence and maintain their life skills with the support from staff. One person said, “I feel that I am getting on much better here, I am being helped to get well here and I am moving onto the community soon to live independently thanks to this place.”

People received regular assessments of their needs and any identified risks. Records were maintained in relation to people’s healthcare, for example when people were supported with making or attending GP appointments. People had up to date health action plans which gave an overview of the person's health needs. People said they liked the service because it provided support which was varied to meet their needs at the time.

The registered manager and provider undertook quality assurance reviews to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. A person from another Care Management Group location visited the service to talk to people to get their views to feedback.

People were encouraged to express their views. Feedback from people through surveys was used to continually drive service improvement for people. People were actively involved in developing the service and interviewed and met with new staff. People also said they felt listened to and any concerns or issues they raised were addressed. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the registered manager. One person said, “The manager is also my keyworker, she is totally amazing and the staff love her too which is great.”

Staff were asked for their opinions on the service and whether they were happy in their work. Staff enjoyed their work. They felt supported within their roles and described a caring and ‘open door’ management approach. They described how management were always available to discuss suggestions and address problems or concerns.