About the service:

Carlton Road is a residential home that provides accommodation with personal care for up to nine people who live with autism. At the time of our inspection, there were nine people using the service. Carlton Road consists of two adjoining houses in a residential area of Worksop.

What life is like for people using this service:

People told us that they felt safe living at Carlton Road. People were cared for by enough staff who understood how to keep people safe from harm and abuse. People told us that they received their medicines on time.

People were supported by an experienced staff team who had the relevant training and support to meet people’s needs. Staff supported people with their nutritional needs and to access health services when they needed them.

People were supported to have the 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.

Staff were kind and treated people with dignity and respect. People were supported to make their own choices and were encouraged to be as independent as possible. Staff understood people’s preferences and care was delivered in line with people’s wishes and needs.

People told us that the management team were approachable and people knew how to make a complaint. The registered manager carried out health and safety checks of the premises and equipment. Accidents and incidents were recorded and action taken where necessary to keep people safe.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

At our last inspection (report published 22 July 2016) all the key questions were rated Good and the service was rated as Good overall. This rating has not changed and the service remains Good.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the date and the rating of the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information that we receive.

This inspection took place on 30 June 2016 and was unannounced.

Carlton Road is situated in the north Nottinghamshire market town of Worksop, within walking distance of the town centre. The service provides accommodation, care and support for up to nine people with learning disabilities. On the day of our inspection 9 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager. 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. The person referred to in this report as the manager is the person who has applied to CQC to become the registered manager for the service.

People who used the service and those supporting them knew who to report any concerns to if they felt that they or others had been the victim of abuse. Risks in relation to people’s daily life and the places they visited, were assessed and planned for to protect them from harm. There were enough staff with the right skills and experience to meet people’s needs and plans in place in the event of staff shortage. Medicines were stored, administered and handled safely so that people received their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide safe and appropriate care and support. Staff received supervision of their work. People were enabled to make decisions and staff knew how to act if people did not have the capacity to make decisions. People spoke positively about the food, choosing what they ate, and being supported to maintain a healthy diet. Staff monitored and responded to people’s health conditions, with people having access to their GP and other health care professionals as needed.

People were supported by staff who were caring and treated them with kindness, respect and dignity. Where people showed signs of distress or anxiety, staff responded to them quickly and provided reassurance. People were supported to access an independent advocate if they wanted to. There were no restrictions on friends and relatives visiting their family members. People could have privacy when needed.

People and their relatives were involved with the planning of their care and support provided. Care plans were written in a way that focused on people’s choices and preferences. Regular monitoring of people’s assessed needs was conducted to ensure staff responded appropriately. People were able to access the activities and hobbies that interested them. A complaints procedure was in place and people felt comfortable in making a complaint if needed.

People were involved in giving their views on how the service was run. There was a positive atmosphere within the home and people were encouraged to contribute to decisions to improve and develop the service. Robust auditing and quality monitoring processes were in place. The service continually strived to improve the quality of the service that people received.

Prior to our inspection visit we reviewed all the information we had received from the provider. As part of our inspection we spoke with one person who used the service. We also spoke with three support workers, the registered manager and a visiting health professional.

We spoke with three relatives about their views. We observed the support staff gave to people who used the service. We also looked at records, including care files of three people and carried out a tour of both houses.

We found people gave consent to their care and the provider acted in accordance with legal requirements if people lacked capacity to do so. Representatives were also involved in decision making. One relative we spoke with told us, “We always go to the reviews, we have the chance to give our opinion and what we say is taken on board.”

We found that people were safe. One relative said, “Yes, they are definitely safe at Carlton Road.” The building was clean, secure and adequately maintained.

We saw that there was an effective complaints system available and the registered manager led effectively to manage complaints.

During our visit we spoke with three care staff and the registered manager of the service. We spoke with one person who used the service. It was not possible to speak with other people who used the service as they were out at college or engaged in other activities. We spoke with the relatives of four people who used the service.

The person we spoke with who used the service told us they were very happy and felt safe living at Carlton Road. This person told us they got on well with the other people living in the house. They said they liked the staff and felt comfortable they could talk to staff about any concerns they may have.

All of the relatives we spoke with told us they were happy with the care and support their family members received. One relative told us, “I have always found the staff to be friendly and polite.” Another told us, “Staff have got to know [relative’s name] and they know their likes and dislikes and what makes them happy.” Another said, “All of the people at Carlton Road seem to have their own activity programmes, personalised to them, which I think is great.”

Relatives told us that staff supported their family member’s health and personal care needs and took prompt action to get them medical attention when it was needed. Relatives also told us that staff always treated their family members with respect.

All of the staff we spoke with told us the provider was good in terms of the training provided and that they enjoyed working at the service.