Homeside is a care home for seven people living with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions. There were seven people accommodated at the home at the time of this inspection.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People indicated that they felt safe living at Homeside. Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were appropriately assessed, planned for and managed. There were sufficient numbers of skilled and experienced staff to provide people with support when they needed it.

Staff had received appropriate training, support and development to carry out their role effectively. People received appropriate support to maintain healthy nutrition and hydration. The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs). Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible.

People were treated with kindness by staff who respected their privacy and upheld their dignity.

People and their relatives were given the opportunity to feed back on the service and their views were acted on. People received personalised care that met their individual needs. People were given appropriate support and encouragement to access meaningful activities and follow their individual interests. People’s relatives told us they knew how to raise a complaint and were confident they would be listened to if they wished to make a complaint.

The provider and registered manager operated an open, transparent and inclusive service. People’s relatives, staff members and external health and social care professionals were invited to contribute their views which were taken into account in shaping the way the service operated. There was a robust quality assurance system in place and shortfalls identified were promptly acted on to improve the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 01 March 2016 and was unannounced.

Homeside is a care home for seven people living with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions. There were seven people accommodated at the home at the time of this inspection.

The home had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 who lived at Homeside were not able to share their views with us however, all relatives we spoke with gave us positive and complimentary feedback about service and said that they had no concerns about the care and support their family members received.

People had detailed support plans in place to help staff understand how people liked their needs to be met. Risks to people’s safety and welfare had been identified and support had been planned to enable people to live as safely as possible whilst enjoying a range of opportunities for engagement and stimulation. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s care and support needs.

Staff members understood their roles and responsibilities and were supported by the registered manager to continuously maintain and develop their skills and knowledge. People enjoyed a varied healthy diet and their physical and mental health needs were well catered for.

The atmosphere in the home was welcoming and there was a respectful interaction between staff and people who used the service. People’s relatives were encouraged to be involved in developing people’s support plans and to visit the home at any time. People were actively supported to maintain family relationships.

The provider had made arrangements to support people and their families to raise concerns. The registered manager and provider promoted a positive culture within the home that was transparent and inclusive. The provider had robust systems to continuously check the quality of the service provided. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge and felt valued.