The inspection visit took place on 21 March 2017 and was unannounced.

Carlton Drive Short Breaks Service is a care home that provides short term accommodation and personal care and support for up to six adults with physical and learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service. The service supports 55 people at various times throughout the year. At the last inspection on 12 August 2014, the service was rated good. At this inspection, we found the service remained good.

People continued to receive safe care. Staff knew their responsibilities to help protect people from harm and abuse. Risks associated with people’s care and support was assessed to help them to remain safe. The registered manager was making improvements to make sure that action taken in relation to bruising found on a person when they arrived at the service was recorded. The provider had safely recruited a suitable number of staff to meet people’s requirements. People received their medicines safely by staff who had received guidance and training to make sure they remained competent.

People continued to receive effective care from staff. Staff received training, guidance and support to make sure that they had the required skills and knowledge. People were satisfied with the food and drink available to them and they were supported to maintain their health.

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 provided guidance in this practice.

People were supported by staff who were compassionate and kind and knew people well. Their dignity and privacy was maintained by staff who communicated in ways that were important to people. People were supported to maintain their skills and were involved in decisions about their support where they could.

People received care and support in a consistent way that was based on their preferences and interests. Their support plans were focused on them as individuals so that staff had guidance about their preferences. The registered manager was taking action to review some people’s support plans where this was necessary.

People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint and the provider took suitable action when one was received.

The service had an open and positive culture. People, their relatives and staff had opportunities to give suggestions about how the service could improve. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities. This included them carrying out quality checks of the service to drive improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

This inspection was announced, this meant the managers and staff did not know we were coming. We last inspected this service in July 2013 and found they were compliant with all the areas we inspected.

The service provides short term accommodation and personal care for up to six adults with physical and learning disabilities in order to give their carers a break from their caring responsibilities. People may use the service for a day or up to a week.

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 and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People and their relatives told us the staff were kind and treated them with respect.  People were consulted about their preferences and staff knew people well.

People’s risks were assessed and there were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm.

Staff were aware of and following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 which was introduced to ensure people who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves, are protected.

The manager ensured there were sufficient staff to support people safely and meet their needs.

The provider listened to people’s views and there was a complaints process in place and we saw people were happy to raise concerns directly with staff.

The manager had introduced effective systems to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

We spoke with two of the five people who used the service at the time of our inspection. Both people told us that they liked coming to stay at the service. Both told us that they had plenty of things to do during their stays and that they liked the staff who supported them. One person expressed that they were "happy" and the other told us that they enjoyed helping staff with domestic activities and making their own drinks.

Relatives of people who used the service had been involved in planning people's stay at the service. Staff were fully informed of people' needs and preferences. That meant that staff had helped people achieve the expectations they had of their stay at the service.

We spoke with only one person who used the service because four of the six people who had stayed at the location had completed their break and had already returned home. The person we spoke with told us they they had, "enjoyed themselves" during their week at the location. We did not speak with another person who was preparing to return home, but it was evident from that person's interaction with staff and what staff had told us that that person had enjoyed their stay.