Our inspection took place on 2, 3, 4 and 10 November 2016 and was announced. At the last inspection on 4 December 2013 the provider was meeting all of the legal requirements we inspected. This was the service’s first ratings inspection.

Creative Support Telford and Shropshire provides personal care to people with a learning disability within a supported living environment and in the community. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 25 people.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

People felt safe. People were supported by a staff team who knew how to keep people safe from harm and abuse. People’s risks had been assessed and staff were working in ways to reduce these risks. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely. People received their medicines as prescribed by suitably trained staff.

People received care and support from a suitably trained staff team who had access to ongoing training and support to enable them to carry out effective care and support.

People were asked for their consent to care and support and the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were being followed. People had access to advocates where required to support them to make decisions about their care.

People who had support to eat and drink were happy with the support provided and were offered choices. People’s specific dietary needs were catered for and specialist professional advice was being followed.

People were supported to maintain good health. Staff were able to recognise changes in people’s health and well-being and knew how to report and respond appropriately.

People were supported by a staff team who were kind and treated them with dignity and respect.

People were encouraged to maintain their independence and were supported and encouraged to maintain relationships that were important to them.

People’s care and support was tailored to meet their individual needs. People were supported by staff who knew their needs and preferences well. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in the planning and review of care. People were encouraged and supported to follow personal interests and hobbies. People and their relatives knew how to complain. Complaints were investigated and responded to appropriately and used to make improvements.

People and their relatives were happy with the care and support provided and would recommend the service. People and their relatives were actively encouraged to be involved in the design and delivery of the service. The registered manager had systems and processes in place to monitor and analyse the quality of the service, and they used information from quality checks to drive improvement.