Healthlinc Apartments are registered to provide accommodation, nursing and personal care for seven people who may be younger adults or older people. The service can provide care for people who have a sensory or physical disability. It can also support people who have special needs for assistance due to a learning disability or mental health issues. There were seven people living in the service at the time of our inspection visit. Most of the people had special communication needs and used a combination of individual words, vocal tones and sign assisted language to express themselves.

The service was run by a company who was the registered provider. 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. In this report when we speak about both the company and the registered manager we refer to them as being, ‘the registered persons’.

At the last inspection on 1 December 2015 the service was rated, ‘Good’.

At this inspection we found the service remained, ‘Good’.

In more detail, there were systems, processes and practices to safeguard people from situations in which they may experience abuse. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed, monitored and managed so they were supported to stay safe while their freedom was respected. In addition, medicines were managed safely.

Suitable arrangements had been made to ensure that sufficient numbers of suitable staff were deployed in the service and background checks had been completed before new nurses and care staff had been appointed. Good standards of hygiene were being maintained and lessons had been learnt when things had gone wrong.

Nurses and care staff had been supported to deliver care in line with current best practice guidance. People enjoyed their meals and were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. In addition, there was suitable provision to ensure that people received coordinated and person-centred care when they used or moved between different services.

People had been supported to live healthier lives by having suitable access to healthcare services so that they received on-going healthcare support. Furthermore, people had benefited from the accommodation being adapted, designed and decorated in a way that met their needs and expectations.

Suitable arrangements had been made to obtain consent to care and treatment in line with legislation and guidance.

People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion and they were given emotional support when needed. They were also supported to express their views about the care they received and to be actively involved in making decisions about things that affected them. This included having access to lay advocates if necessary. In addition, confidential information was kept private.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. This included being offered a number of opportunities to pursue their hobbies and interests. People’s concerns and complaints were listened and responded to in order to improve the quality of care. In addition, suitable provision had been made to support people at the end of their life to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

There was a positive culture in the service that was open, inclusive and focused upon achieving good outcomes for people. There was a robust management framework to ensure that nurses and care staff understood their responsibilities so that risks and regulatory requirements were met.

The views of people who lived in the service, relatives and staff had been gathered and acted on to shape any improvements that were made. Quality checks had been completed and people benefited from the se

This was an announced inspection carried out on 1 December 2015.

Healthlinc Apartments can provide accommodation and nursing care for seven people who have a learning disability. There were five people living in the service at the time of our inspection. Some of the people living in the service had special communication needs and used a combination of words, signs and gestures to express themselves.

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.

Staff knew how to respond to any concerns that might arise so that people were kept safe from harm. People were helped to promote their wellbeing, steps had been taken to reduce the risk of accidents and medicines were safely managed. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed.

Staff had received training and guidance and they knew how to care for people in the right way. This included how to respond to people who had special communication needs. People had received all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

Staff had ensured that people’s rights were respected by helping them to make decisions for themselves. The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to report on what we find. These safeguards protect people when they are not able to make decisions for themselves and it is necessary to deprive them of their liberty in order to keep them safe. In relation to this, the registered manager had worked with the relevant local authorities to ensure that people only received lawful care that respected their rights.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, respected confidential information and promoted people’s dignity.

People had received all of the care they needed including people who could become distressed and who needed reassurance. People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and staff supported people to express their individuality. Staff had supported people to pursue a wide range of interests and hobbies and there was a system for resolving complaints.

Regular quality checks had been completed to ensure that people received all of the care they needed. People and their relatives had been consulted about the development of the service. Staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns because the service was run in an open and relaxed way. People had benefited from staff acting upon good practice guidance because it helped to ensure that they received care which met their individual needs and wishes.