This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 21, 26 and 28 September 2018.

1a Upper Brighton Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or 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 home provides care for up to nine young people including people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. It is located in the Surbiton area of Surrey.

The service had a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

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.

This was the first inspection since the service was registered.

The home provided a service for younger adults with learning disabilities or an autistic spectrum disorder. They had moved from residential schools, other care home placements or parental homes where their support needs were no longer being fully met. Their lives were massively impacted in a positive way by the move which was reflected in their progress, personal achievements and opportunities to try new experiences.

The young people benefited from a wide and varied range of activities, in the community, at home and further afield. They selected them with patient, painstaking support by staff that enabled them to do things that were focussed on their individual interests and likes. Whilst people could not comment verbally on the activities their body language showed us they were enjoying them with lots of smiling, laughter and enthusiasm. The impact of this was that people thoroughly enjoyed their activities and developed bonds and friendships, through them, with staff, each other and others.

The positive impact the home had on the young people was also demonstrated by a

substantial reduction of incidents and situations where people may display behaviour that others could interpret as challenging. Where people displayed anxiety or anger through aggressive behaviour, staff were on hand and knew how to defuse situations. They understood that this was an expression of people's needs, emotions, feelings and an attempt to communicate them. Staff turned people’s negative behaviour and frustrations into positives by calming the situation, finding out what was wrong or what people wanted and addressing their needs. They achieved this by having a thorough knowledge of each person and their likes and dislikes based on trial and error and growing positive relationships and bonds with them.

Due to people having limited verbal communication relatives generally spoke on their behalf. Relatives felt the home provided a warm, welcoming and friendly atmosphere and that staff treated the young people's safety as paramount. This was whilst still acknowledging that people must be enabled to try new experiences and take opportunities by taking acceptable risks. Staff weighed up the benefits of the activity with the young person in relation to the risks involved. This was reflected in the number of new experiences and activities people safely had whilst continuing with those that they previously enjoyed. It meant people received a service that was individual to them. The service and activities were flexible and changed with them as their needs changed and skills and confidence developed, resulting in more fulfilling and enjoyable lives. Staff also thought the h