We undertook this unannounced inspection on 6 and 7 April 2017.

Franklyn Lodge The Farm House is a care home registered for a maximum of six adults who have a learning disability. At the time of our visit, there were six people living in the home.

At our previous inspection on 9 October 2014, we rated the service as “Good” and there were no breaches of regulations. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People who used the service informed us that they were satisfied with the care and services provided. They had been treated with respect and felt safe living in the home. Care workers we spoke with showed an understanding of how to recognise and report allegations of abuse. Risks to people who used the service were assessed and appropriate risk management plans were in place.

Care workers were carefully recruited and staffing levels were adequate. Medicines were managed safely. The premises were clean and tidy and infection control arrangements were in place.

Care workers had been provided with essential training. There were regular staff supervisions. However, some appraisals had not been carried out in the past twelve months. The registered manager and personnel manager informed us that they would be carried out soon.

People who used the service had been provided with support to enable them to have choice and control of their life. Care workers understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Restrictions placed on people had been properly authorised. People’s healthcare and nutritional needs had been attended to.

People looked happy and could participate in activities they liked. Care workers were aware of the importance of treating people with respect and ensuring their dignity and privacy were maintained. There were arrangements for ensuring that the care provided was centred on the person who used the service. Reviews by health and social care professionals indicated that people had settled well in the home and were well cared for. The service had a complaints procedure. The service had not received any complaints since our last inspection.

Care workers worked well together. Appropriate policies and procedures were in place. Care records were up to date. Quality assurance checks and audits were seen by us. These ensured that people received a high quality of care.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service and provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection was announced. At our last inspection which took place on 20 December 2013, the service was compliant with all the regulations we looked at.

Franklyn Lodge- The Farm House is a six bedded care home specialising in providing care for adults who have learning disabilities.

There were six people living at the home at the time of our inspection. There was 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.

Relatives told us they felt people were safe in the home. The provider had taken steps to help ensure people were protected from abuse, or the risk of abuse.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The provider and manager were aware of the recent Supreme Court judgement in respect of DoLS and had started to assess whether any authorisations were needed to ensure that people who used the service were not unlawfully restricted. We saw that these assessments were recorded for each person and the provider was liaising with the local authority DoLS lead.

We found people were cared for by staff who felt they were supported to have the necessary knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

We observed people were relaxed and felt at ease. We found people were free to come and go as they pleased in the home and their needs for privacy were understood and respected by care workers. We saw people being treated with respect and dignity. We observed care workers provided prompt assistance and were patient when supporting people.

People were consulted and activities reflected people’s individual interests, likes and dislikes and religious and cultural needs were accommodated.  We saw pictorial records of people’s achievements and activities throughout the year such as community visits, bus rides, lunches in restaurants and birthday celebrations.

There was a clear management structure in place and systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. The home had a clear management structure in place with a team of care workers, registered manager, the provider and a regional director who worked closely with the home. Care workers also spoke positively about the culture within the home.

We spoke with three people who used the service. They informed us and also indicated to us with nods and gestures that staff treated them well and they were happy living in the home. Three relatives who spoke with us by phone stated that staff treated people who used the service with respect and dignity.

We observed that people who used the service appeared well cared for and were dressed appropriately. Staff communicated well with people and encouraged people to engage in various activities they liked. Staff supported people with making choices regarding areas such as activities and meals they wanted. There were arrangements for obtaining consent from either people or their representatives.

People who used the service stated that they had access to healthcare professionals and this was confirmed by relatives we spoke with. Assessments, including risk assessments had been carried out. The care provided had been reviewed regularly to ensure that the current needs of people were met. There were suitable arrangements for the management of medicines.

Staff were knowledgeable regarding their roles and responsibilities. Relatives and staff we spoke with indicated that there were sufficient staff on duty to care for people.

The home had a complaints procedure and complaints had been responded to. Relatives said they knew who to talk to if they were unhappy with the care provided.

We spoke with two people who use the service and two relatives. People who use the service have severe learning difficulties and communication was limited. Two people indicated to us via gestures and nods that they were satisfied with the care provided and staff had treated them well.

We observed that staff were respectful and treated people with dignity. We saw people being encouraged to be as independent as possible and they assisted in household chores. Relatives informed us that they were satisfied with the care provided. Their views can be summarised by the following comment, “Staff keep me informed of what is happening. My relative is well cared for and they know how to care for my relative’s medical condition. “

Care records indicated that the needs of people had been attended to. The records contained risk assessments, care plans and reviews. Details of appointments with healthcare professionals were recorded.

The staff records indicated that staff had been provided with essential training. Staff informed us that they worked well as a team and felt supported by their manager. Staff were aware of the safeguarding policy and procedure aimed at protecting people from abuse and understood their role.

Suitable arrangements were in place to monitor the quality of care provided and the feedback received in response to a recent survey indicated that relatives were satisfied with the care provided. The premises were clean and tidy.