At our last inspection completed in June 2016 we rated the service ‘good’. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good. 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.

Ebenezer House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The care home is registered to accommodate up to five people. At the time of the inspection there were five people living at the service.

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.

A registered manager was in post. 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 and staff team strived to ensure people could play an active role in the community and to lead full and active lives. People were fully involved in the design and review of their care.

People were supported by a staff team who understood how to protect them from harm. Care staff managed risks to people in a positive way. Processes were in place to keep people safe in an emergency such as a fire. People were protected from harm while their independence was maximised. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely.

People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. People were protected by effective infection control procedures.

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 were encouraged to eat more healthily. People were encouraged to be involved in monitoring and maintaining their day to day health.

Staff supported people in a way that was kind and caring. People’s privacy was respected and their dignity was promoted and upheld. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and were supported to maintain important relationships.

Care staff had the skills they required to support people effectively. Processes were in place to respond to any issues or complaints. The registered manager had developed an open and transparent culture within the service where people were respected and everyone was free to share their views. People were fully involved in the development of the service.

The provider engaged with the wider community and other organisations to drive improvements to the lives of those being supported. A range of quality assurance and governance systems were in place but some improvements were needed. Organisations registered with CQC have a legal obligation to tell us about certain events at the service, so that we can take any required follow up action needed. The provider needed to make sure systems were in place to ensure notifications were sent where required.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 4 February 2106 and was unannounced. We last inspected this home on 14 February 2014 where we found the provider was meeting the requirements of the regulations we inspected.

Ebenezer House is a residential home providing accommodation for up to 4 people who may have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection 3 people lived there. There was not a registered manager in post. 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. Following our inspection the new manager registered with the Commission which meant there is now a registered manager in post.

Staff knew how to recognise harm and understood their responsibilities in reporting it to the management. Staff knew what to do should the provider fail in their responsibility to protect people. Risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and regularly monitored. Relatives told us and we saw there were sufficient numbers of staff to keep people safe. People told us they received their medicines on time.

People were cared for by knowledgeable staff who had the correct training and skills to meet their needs. People’s rights were protected as the provider had applied to the safeguarding authority to deprive them of their liberty when appropriate. People told us their nutritional needs were being met and they were involved in choosing the menus to suit their own preferences. We saw people had access to health care professionals.

Relatives told us and we saw people were supported by staff who were kind and caring. Positive relationships had been developed between people and the staff who support them. We saw people were encouraged to maintain their independence and daily living skills. People’s privacy and dignity was respected by the staff who supported them.

People were cared for by staff who knew their individual choices and preferences. People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them and relatives told us they were made welcome when they visited the home. People had opportunity to follow their own interests and hobbies in the community and in the home. Relatives told us they knew how to complain and when they had they had been listened to.

The provider did not have a registered manager. Following our inspection a new manager registered with the Commission. The manager and staff included people in the running of the home by having regular meetings both on an individual basis and as a group. However it was not clear to us what action had been taken when people made negative comments. Staff told us they were supported by the provider and the new manager and they were included in decisions in the home.

We inspected Ebenezer House on a planned, announced inspection. We had previously informed the service we would be visiting to ensure that someone would be available to facilitate the inspection. We spoke with people who used the service, staff, the newly appointed manager and a relative as part of the inspection process.

We looked to see if people consented to their care, treatment and support and found that people were encouraged to make choices in their care as much as they were able to.

We found that people’s care and welfare needs were being met through comprehensive care plans and care delivery.

We found that the service had systems in place to ensure that cleanliness and infection control procedures were maintained.

We spoke with two members of staff who told us they were happy working at Ebenezer House and felt supported to fulfil their role effectively.

We saw that the service had implemented systems to monitor the quality of care being delivered.

At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the home registered to provide support to people with learning disabilities. We arrived unannounced for the visit. As people were leaving the home for community activities we arranged to return in the evening so we could talk to the people living at the home. Everyone had their own bedroom which was decorated to their taste. In the kitchen personal cupboards and fridge space was allocated. This meant that people were able to choose their own menus for their individual preferences. People who lived at the home told us that staff helped them with shopping and cooking their own meals. We saw positive interactions between the staff member on duty and people who lived at the home.

We saw that everyone who lived at the home had their own support plan which they kept in their bedroom so that their information was accessible to them.

Through a process called 'pathway tracking' we looked at support plans and spoke with staff about how they provided support. We spoke with the manager, one staff member and people living at the home. The staff member we spoke with was knowledgeable about support requirements

Staff training were in place to ensure staff knew how to identify and report concerns and incidents within the home, this included suspected abuse.

We saw a copy of the training matrix for the home which told us training was available and had been delivered to staff. The staff we spoke with confirmed this.

We found that Ebenezer House was a small family sized home. We saw photos of people who lived at the house engaged in activities and social events on every wall. In the kitchen we saw that everyone had their own cupboards and fridge space and everyone's individual menus for the week were posted on the fridge door. This means that people can choose their own menus so their individual preferences are respected. People who live at Ebenezer House told us that staff help them with shopping and cooking their own meals so they can develop their independent living skills.

We saw that support plans were detailed and risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been considered and reviewed. Staff told us if they noticed changes in people’s needs they could talk to the people, their relatives and the manager about it to make sure that support plans would be adapted appropriately.

We saw that everyone who lived at the house had signed their own support plan and that everyone had a pictorial record of the plan so that the information was accessible to them. They also had a photographic record of the activities they are supported in to remind them how their independence is developing.

On the day of our visit, all the people who live at Ebenezer House were out at various activities for the day. We talked with two managers, a member of staff and one person who lived at the house about how people were supported. We talked with two people who live at the house by telephone after our visit. All the people we talked with told us they were happy living at Ebenezer House with their friends. One person said, “I like it here, I am never worried about anything”.

People who live at the house told us they have conversations with the staff about the things they need. We found that the quality of the support given to people was regularly reviewed by the provider and that the provider had created an action plan to make improvements. We saw that some of the identified actions had been taken and some were in progress at the time of our visit.