About the service:

- The service is in a residential area of Leicester Forest East, a suburb of Leicester.

- The service provides accommodation and personal care to people living with learning disabilities and autism. The care home can accommodate six people in one building. At the time of our inspection there were six people using the service.

• This is one of many locations that the provider operates nationally.

People's experience of using this service:

• The service provided a safe service.

• Relatives told us that people liked living at the service.

• There was a homely atmosphere for people.

• People were protected against abuse, neglect and discrimination. Staff members were aware of ensuring people's safety and acting when necessary to prevent any harm.

• Staff members knew people well and people appeared to enjoy the attention from them. .

• People were assisted to have choice and control of their lives.

• People and their representatives had a say in how the service was operated and managed.

• People's care was personalised to their individual needs.

• Fully comprehensive governance processes were in place to ensure quality care. Questionnaires had been supplied to people’s representatives for their views of the service.

• The service met the characteristics for a rating of "good" in all key questions.

• More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

• At our last inspection, the service was rated "good". Our last report was published for the inspection of 10 June 2016.

Why we inspected:

• This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up:

• We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people received safe, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates.

We carried out our inspection visit on 10 June 2016. The inspection was unannounced.

Heathcotes Kirby Muxloe provides accommodation for up to six adults who require personal care and support. People who use the service live with autistic spectrum disorder or mental health and/or learning disability.

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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe at Heathcotes Kirby Muxloe. This was because the service has systems in place to assess and manage risks to people’s care and support. Staff understood and promptly responded to any concerns that they had about people’s welfare. They used the provider’s safeguarding protocols to report any concerns.

People received their medicines as prescribed by their doctor. Their medicines were stored and administered in a safe manner.

The registered manager had robust recruitment protocols to ensure that only staff that had the right skills and attitudes was employed. They completed the required pre-employment checks that they were safe to work with people.

Staff had the skills they needed to provide an effective and person centred service. They maintained links and sought information from specialist organisations which support them to understand the specific needs of people that used the service, and provide the support that met those needs.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and its relevance in their role. They applied this when they supported people and provided the relevant support that people required to make decisions about their care.

People nutritional needs were met in a way that suited their individual needs and preference. They chose from a varied menu and were supported to follow a healthy life style. Staff promptly responded to their health needs and supported them to access health professionals and monitor their health and well-being.

Staff were very kind and compassionate to people. They demonstrated an interest in the people who they support. They ensured that they were involved in decisions about their care. They provided support in a way that promoted people’s independence and help them develop and maintain skills that allowed them to be as independent as possible. People felt that they mattered. They had a core team of staff who were readily available to promote their welfare.

The needs of the people were central to every activity within the service. People’s care was tailored to their individual needs. Staff provided support in a flexible manner that responded to any changes that people had. They also liaised with other professionals to ensure that people’s support from them was delivered in a manner that met the person’s specific needs. People’s relatives told us that people had achieved many positive outcomes as a result of the responsiveness of the support that they received.

People were a part of their local community. They maintained good relationships with their neighbours.

The registered manager encouraged people and their relatives to provide feedback about the service they received. They dealt with any concerns raised promptly and communicated their response in a manner that was relevant to the recipient.

People, staff, relatives and other professional were highly complimentary of the registered manager. They had good experiences of communication with the manager and felt confident to approach her for support. The registered manager demonstrated a clear passion and understanding of the role, and developed a culture that promoted and enabled people to live an independent life where they were respected and their needs were met in a wa

We used different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us their experiences. We spoke to the relatives of three people and we spoke with four staff (including the manager).

Support plans contained information about peoples' preferred routines, likes, dislikes and specific needs. People were supported by staff to express their views and be involved in decision making.

People were encouraged to make healthy choices. One of the relatives told us, “They eat much healthier food now than they used to. Before moving to Heathcotes Kirby they tended to eat a lot of junk food.” Arrangements were in place to support people with different communication needs to make choices about the food they ate.

The home was clean, tidy and well maintained throughout. Bedrooms were decorated to reflect each person’s individual tastes and interests.

Relatives found there were enough staff available when they visited. One relative said, “There are always staff around and they get things ready for when we go out.”

All three relatives were very complimentary about the support provided at Heathcotes Kirby. One told us, “The home is absolutely wonderful, it is outstanding. Nothing is too much trouble and they respond to everything I ask.” Another relative said, “They are brilliant, they have done wonders for (my relative) and I know she is really happy there.”

We were unable able to speak with people using the service because they had limited verbal communication skills and some were uncomfortable about our presence causing people to be anxious. We therefore spoke with staff and reviewed the records which included the care and support plans of two people who used the service.

People who live at the service received one to one support within the home. During our visit we saw people were supported by staff to undertake art and craft activities and cooking. We noted staff supported people in a range of activities which included accessing the community including colleges, parks and taking part in sporting activities at leisure centres.

Records including care plans were comprehensive and well managed. Care plans and other documents which recorded the care and support individuals received were comprehensive and regularly reviewed. Care plans were comprehensive and provided clear information about the role of staff in supporting people. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about the needs of people and were able to support them using the training they had received in specialist areas, which included supporting people whose behaviour could be challenging.

We did not speak with any of the people who used the service because they had limited verbal communication skills and some were uncomfortable about our presence. However, during the course of our visit, we did see people who used the service being supported through one-to one interaction with carers. The activities were person centred and appeared to be enjoyed by the people who used the service.