Heathfield Gardens is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Heathfield Gardens is registered to accommodate 11 people with a learning disability and associated conditions in one adapted building and provides personal care. There were 10 people using the service at the time of our inspection. Each person had their own bedroom with ensuite facilities and a variety of communal areas that they could access. This included a secure garden, with seating and equipment for outdoor games.

Heathfield Gardens met 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.

The service did not have 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. There was a manager in post and they had applied to register with us. Their registration was in progress at the time of this inspection.

This is the first inspection since the provider registered this location on 21 October 2016

People’s needs were met as there was enough trained staff to support them. People were supported to keep safe and the staff understood their role in protecting them from the risk of harm. People were supported to take reasonable risks to enable them to live as independently as possible. To ensure people’s safety was considered, environmental risks were assessed and managed. People were supported to take their prescribed medicine and systems were in place to ensure this was done safely. Checks were undertaken on staff before they commenced work to establish that they were suitable to support people. The service was kept clean and systems were in place to guide staff on the prevention and control of infection.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People and their representatives were involved in their care; which enabled them to make decisions about how they wanted to receive support in their preferred way. People were supported to eat a balanced diet that met their preferences and assessed needs, and access healthcare services. People received coordinated support to ensure their preferences and needs were met.

Staff understood people’s needs and preferences and knew them well. Staff were considerate and caring towards people and supported them to maintain their dignity. People’s privacy was respected and upheld by the staff team and people were supported to maintain relationships with those who were important to them.

People were supported to maintain their interests and be part of their local community. The manager and staff team included people and their representatives in the planning of their care. There were processes in place for people and their representatives to raise any concerns about the service provided.

People and their representatives were consulted and involved in developing the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and felt supported by the manager. The provider understood their legal responsibilities with us and systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the manager and provider to drive improvement.