Cheshire and Midland Supported Living is registered to provide personal care for people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. The provider had recently changed the name of the service which at the time of the inspection was known as European Wellcare Lifestyles Limited. People who used the service lived in tenanted properties where they received personal care and support from staff. Some of the properties were staffed throughout the day and night. There were 26 people being supported with personal care at the time of our inspection.

The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of this inspection which took place on 5 and 6 July. This was to ensure that the registered manager would be available to assist us with the inspection and appropriate arrangements could be made for us to meet people who received a service.

There was a registered manager in place during this inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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.

During this inspection, we found the service provided outstanding care and support to people and was very responsive to their needs, wishes and preferences. All people, relatives and staff spoken with were extremely positive about Cheshire and Midlands Supported Living.

People told us that they felt safe and we found that people were protected from harm and abuse. Staff were trained in safeguarding procedures and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns of this nature. Staff told us that they could raise any concerns and felt that they would be dealt with promptly.

We found that risks to people were well managed and people’s freedom was also supported. Risk assessments were in place to keep people safe whilst they were in their home and the community. Staff described how they kept people safe without restricting them and supported them to have control over their lives.

There were safe arrangements in place to support people with their medication. People were supported where appropriate to self- medicate.

Staff were very skilled and knowledgeable. We found that staff completed an induction prior to starting work in the service and received regular and on-going training.

People received effective care based on current best practice for people with autism. The support provided meant that people experienced meaningful lives and their wellbeing was promoted.

The registered manager and staff were clear about their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and were dedicated in their approach to supporting people to make informed decisions about their care.

There was a strong person centred culture. Staff knew people’s support needs very well and we observed positive interactions between people and staff. We saw staff being kind and thoughtful and treating people with dignity and respect.

The service promoted a philosophy of care, where people who used the service were included, and were enabled to be part of decision making about their support, as well as the service.

We found people received outstanding personalised care and support. They told us they were involved in all decisions about their care and the service had developed creative means of enabling people to lead as full a life as possible. Support plans were extremely personalised and had been written with the people involved and some people had been supported to write their plans in their own words. The focus was on what the individual wanted. We saw that people were also supported to work within the wider community and were employed within various organisations.

People were encouraged to give feedback to the service and people knew how they could complain. Complaints were taken seriously a