Eight Ash Green Ltd is a small care provider providing intensive support for up to twelve people who have a learning disability. The service is split into two bungalows, each bungalow sleep up to six people. This inspection took place on the 18 of August 2016. At the time of our inspection there were twelve people using the service.

There is a Registered Manager at this location. 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.

In some people’s records, we found that accidents and incidents had not been consistently recorded. When accidents occurred, the provider did not use this as a learning point to develop practice. There were only a few minor incidents that had not been recorded. The manager confirmed they would address this to make sure people received the care and support they needed and were not harmed.

The registered manager told us that they would review this area of the service immediately and take action.

Staff were appropriately trained and skilled and provided care in a safe environment. A thorough induction was provided and staff understood their roles and responsibilities.

People lived in an environment that met their needs and people enjoyed the food provided. The premises were properly maintained with a clean, bright and inviting environment. Rooms were personalised and individually decorated.

Staff knew how to safeguard vulnerable adults and they were able to describe potential risks to people.

We saw that people had developed caring and positive relationships and they were sensitive to individual choices. Relatives told us that when they visited the home there was a calm and friendly atmosphere.

The registered provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and was following the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people's independence by encouraging people to care for themselves as much as possible.

People had their requests responded to promptly, and people told us there were enough staff to meet their care needs. Peoples medicines were managed safely and staff understood their responsibilities.

People who used the service, family members, and visitors were made aware of how to make a compliment, complaint, or comment and there was an effective complaints policy and procedure in place.

The service regularly used community services and facilities and had links with the local community. People, their family members, and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service they received.

The registered manager conducted regular audits and improvements were carried out when these had been identified. The manager explained that they were reviewing ways in which the service could review the quality of the service, by putting continuous improvement at the heart of this process.

Staff members understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and were able to describe their responsibilities to seek the consent of the people they supported. When people were thought to lack mental capacity the provider had taken the appropriate action to make sure their care did not restrict their movement and rights under the MCA. Decisions about the care people received were made by the people who had the legal right to do so.

Health care professionals were involved in peoples care when necessary and encouraged to provide feedback about the service.

Families were encouraged to become more involved in the service by providing feedback on the service by completing an annual questionnaire.

People and their relatives told us that the service was well led and spoke positively about the registered

We looked at the care files for three people. People’s needs were assessed and there were care plans and monitoring charts in place which were reviewed monthly.

We saw that the provider had information to support people if they were admitted to hospital, for example communication passports. We spoke with another provider who told us, “They are on the ball. If there is a problem they seek advice.”

We reviewed the medication administration records for four people. There were clear and detailed guidelines available for staff. We spoke with three members of staff all of whom said that they felt supported. One member of staff told us, “I had one day of medication training and I had competency assessments done too.” This meant that staff were able to safely administer regular and as required medicines.

We saw evidence of completed induction forms. One member of staff said, “They showed me everything you need to do to support the people living here. It was really useful.” We looked at the staff files for three members of staff and saw evidence of a range of training certificates for both mandatory training and additional training.

There was a process in place for recording and learning from accidents and incidents. We saw that people who used the service and their relatives were asked for their views and these were acted upon. One relative told us, “They have information about complaints on display. I would just ring them and I am sure they would be responsive.”

People told us that they liked living at Eight Ash Court and that they were asked for their views about the service. We found that care was provided according to people's assessed needs. We saw that people were supported to live as independently as possible and maintain community involvement.

We saw there were good arrangements to protect people from abuse. People told us they felt safe. There were appropriate recruitment arrangements. Staff had training and supervision to be able to provide safe care.

There were suitable arrangements in place to monitor the quality of care being provided.