Garendon Residential Home is a care home for a maximum of 14 people with learning disabilities and autism. The service comprises of two semi-detached buildings made into one larger home. Most bedrooms are single rooms. People only share when they have chosen to do so. At the time of our inspection visit, 11 people lived at the home.

The service was registered with the CQC prior to the CQC’s publication of ‘Registering the Right Support’ guidance for homes which accommodate people with learning disabilities and autism. Our guidance now says people with learning disabilities should not live in homes of more than six people. Although the service does not meet our new criteria, people have lived with each other for many years and describe the home as being a ‘family’.

At our last inspection we rated the service as ‘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 mostly continued to be safe. Staff understood the risks to people’s health and wellbeing and acted to lessen each risk. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs; and checks had been made on staff before they started working for the service to make sure they were safe to work with people. People received their medicines as prescribed. The home was clean and tidy and staff understood infection control practice. Premises were well-maintained, but the surface temperature of radiators put people at risk of being scalded. The registered manager dealt with this issue quickly.

The service continued to be effective. Staff received training to support them to work effectively with people who lived at the home. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) were followed. People had access to different health and social care professionals when required, and good relationships had been formed between the service and those professionals. People received food they enjoyed, and were involved in menu planning.

The service continued to be caring. People received care from staff who were kind, treated them with dignity and respected their privacy. Staff had developed positive relationships with the people they supported and understood people’s needs, preferences, and what was important to them. The service supported people to maintain and develop relationships with their family.

The service continued to be responsive. People’s needs were assessed and planned for with the involvement of the person. People lived purposeful lives having opportunities to work and train in the community, as well as being involved in pursuing their interests and hobbies. There was a complaints procedure, although no complaints had been made to the service since our last inspection. Procedures were in place for planned end of life care.

The service continued to be well-led. The registered manager worked hard to ensure a good quality of service was maintained. The registered manager provided good support to the staff group, and to people who lived at the home. Checks were made to ensure the service met its obligations to provide safe accommodation to people and to deliver care and support which met people’s individual needs.

We inspected the service on 26 April 2016. It was an unannounced inspection.

Garendon Residential Home provides accommodation for up to 14 people with learning difficulties and sensory impairments. There were 12 people using the service on the day of our inspection.

There was 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were protected from harm. People told us they felt safe and that there were enough staff available to meet their needs. There was a recruitment policy in place which the registered manager followed. We found that all the required pre-employment checks were being carried out before staff were to commence work. This meant that the provider could be assured that staff employed were suitable to keep people safe

Risks associated with people's care and support were assessed and managed to protect people from harm. Staff had received training to meet the needs of the people who used the service. People received their medicines as required and medicines were managed and administered safely.

People’s independence was promoted and staff encouraged people to make independent choices. People were supported to have active lives and participate in vocational, recreational and educational activities.

People were supported to make decisions about the care they received. People’s opinions were sought and respected. The provider had considered their responsibility to meet the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

The registered manager had assessed the care needs of people using the service. Staff had a clear understanding of their role and how to support people who used the service as individuals.

Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness and compassion. People enjoyed the meals provided and where they had dietary requirements, these were met. People were offered adequate drinks to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Systems were in place to monitor the health and wellbeing of people who used the service. People’s health needs were met and when necessary, outside health professionals were contacted for support.

Staff felt supported by the registered manager. The registered manager supervised staff and regularly checked their competency to carry out their role. People who used the service felt they could talk to the registered manager and had faith that they would address issues if required. Relatives found the registered manager to be approachable.

The registered manager and the provider had implemented systems to ensure the smooth running of the service. All of the necessary health and safety checks were seen to be carried out in a periodic and timely manner.

As part of the inspection we observed people living at the home, spoke with two support workers and the registered manager. We also spoke with people who used the service about their experiences of living at the home.

We looked at numerous records including people’s care records, staff records, medication records and records in relation to the management of the service.

Our observations showed that people were comfortable, well kempt and were being supported in a homely and pleasant environment. People’s bedrooms had been decorated according to their personal taste and we found that people were fully involved in all aspects of the running of home.

We found that staff treated people with dignity and respect and demonstrated a genuine rapport with the people who used the service. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the needs of people's needs and were positive about their role.

We found that people’s independence and community involvement had been promoted by the service. People who used the service were satisfied with the care and support they received and spoke to us about the activities and occupations they were involved in.

We looked at the records of three people who used the service and found care had been planned and delivered appropriately with regard to people’s health, safety and welfare.

There were appropriate arrangements in place for the obtaining and administration of medication.

Staff had been appropriately screened to ensure they were appropriate to work with vulnerable people and had received a thorough induction.

There was an appropriate complaints handling process in place and arrangements were in place to support people with making a complaint.

As part of our inspection on this service we spoke with three people who used the service, four members of staff working at the service, the registered manager of the service and the relative of a person who used the service.

The people who used the service were happy living at the home. They told us that they enjoyed their lives there and that they liked the staff who cared for them. Many of the people living at the home had done so for many years. One person told us, "The staff here are wonderful and the food is good." Another person said, "It's nice here."

Staff we spoke with were enthusiastic about their jobs. They knew about the people they were caring for and all felt that the management of the home was supportive and encouraging. One staff member told us, "This place is wonderful." Another staff member said, "I feel like everything's done well. I feel supported by my manager. There's nothing that bothers or concerns me."

The relative of someone living at the home we spoke with told us that they were very happy with the environment in which their relative lived, commenting that, "We're very happy with his placement and so is he."

We reviewed records kept at the home and found that these contained adequate information about people living at the home. We found that the home was regularly consulting people about their care and reviewing the quality of care being delivered to people.

People we spoke to were satisfied with the care and support they received. They told us that they enjoyed living at the home. One person said, “I love it here” and told us that she felt safe at the home. People told us that the home had supported them to be independent. People appreciated the range of activities the home had organised.

Staff we spoke with told us that “we’re about helping people be independent.”