This inspection took place on 18 and 28 January 2019 and was unannounced.

Dimensions 95 New Wokingham Road is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Dimensions 95 New Wokingham Road accommodates up to four people with learning disabilities in one adapted building. There were four people at the service at the time of inspection.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

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 service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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 registered manager also managed one of the provider’s other services and divided their time between the two homes. There was a clear management structure in place which meant that there was enough support in place for staff.

The registered manager had effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. This included having effective procedures around fire and emergency situations to help keep people safe.

There were systems in place to reduce the risk of infections spreading. The home was clean and hygienic.

Risks to people in relation to their health and medical conditions were assessed and mitigated. This included any risks associated with eating and drinking. Where risks were identified, the provider had systems in place to promote people’s wellbeing and good health.

There were policies and procedures in place to protect people from the risk of suffering abuse or harm.

There were enough staff deployed to meet people’s needs. The provider had robust recruitment procedures in place to help identify suitable staff.

Staff received training, support and development in their role. The registered manager monitored staff’s ongoing performance and there were systems in place to ensure staff understood their responsibilities and duties

Staff were knowledgeable and were attentive to people’s needs. People were treated with dignity and respect and the atmosphere at the service was calm and homely. The home was suitable for people’s needs.

People received personalised care and were supported to live active lives. People were given choices about how their care was delivered and were given opportunities to plan activities to achieve their ambitions.

Staff understood the need to gain consent to care. 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 supported this practice.

People had access to healthcare services as required and the provider worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to meet people’s ongoing needs.

People’s care plans were detailed and contained sufficient information for staff to help them meet people’s needs.

The registered manager regularly sought feedback

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 21 June 2016.

Dimensions 95 New Wokingham Road is a residential care home which provides a service for people with learning disabilities. The service is registered to provide care for up to four people. There were four people living there on the day of the visit.

There is a registered manager running the service. 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 were kept safe from any form of abuse or harm by staff who knew how to protect people. They were trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults and health and safety policies and procedures. Staff understood and followed these to keep people, themselves and others as safe as possible. General risks or risks to Individuals were identified and action was taken to reduce them, if possible. There were adequate staff numbers to ensure people’s needs were met and they were supported safely. The recruitment procedures were robust and made sure, that as far as possible, staff were safe and suitable to work with the people who live in the home. Medicines were given safely, in the right amounts and at the right times by trained and competent staff.

People’s health and well-being needs were met by an efficient and responsive staff team. The service sought advice from and worked with health and other professionals. This ensured people were kept as mentally and physically well as possible, so that they could enjoy their lives.

Peoples’ human and civil rights were understood, and upheld by the staff and registered manager of the service. The service understood the relevance of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and consent issues which related to the people in their care. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 legislation provides a legal framework that sets out how to act to support people who may not have capacity to do so. People were supported to make as many decisions and have as much control over their lives as they were able to.

People’s care was provided by kind, caring and committed staff who knew people and their needs well. People’s needs were met by an attentive, knowledgeable staff team who were responsive to changes in people’s requirements and wishes. Individualised care planning ensured people’s equality and diversity was respected. People were provided with a variety of activities, according to their needs, abilities and preferences.

People’s care was effectively overseen by a registered manager and management team who listened and responded to them and others. The culture of the home was described as open and supportive. The registered manager was highly thought of by people, staff and others. The quality of care the service provided was continually assessed and improved, as necessary.

At the time of our visit three people were living at the home. One person was out for the day and activities had been planned for the other two people. The people who live at the home did not use verbal communication, however they communicated through gestures and body language. We observed people's interactions with care workers and spoke with relatives. On relative told us "the carers are very genuine and caring".

We saw people being treated with dignity and respect. Care workers interpreted people's non-verbal language and gestures effectively to enable appropriate support to be given.

There were policies and procedures in place to protect people from the spread of infection. Staff had received appropriate training and we saw that this was up to date. One relative we spoke with told us "the home is always clean and tidy" and our observations on the day of our visit confirmed this.

There were appropriate recruitment procedures in place to carry out the necessary checks prior to care staff commencing employment. We found that although two care staff had not provided a full employment history before they began work the provider had taken steps to obtain the information and to document this on the relevant staff files

At the time we visited, two people were living at the home. While neither person spoke to us to a great extent, one person in particular communicated extensively using hand, touch and a range of gestures. Effective care plans were in place to help meet people's needs and we saw evidence of input from various health professionals. We observed that people had positive relationships with care staff and interacted freely with staff and the manager.

We found that people received safe care and that they were treated with respect and involved in the local community. Staff received appropriate training and supervision.

People who used the service had opportunities to give their views, including non-verbally, about the service and their wishes were acted upon.