This inspection took place on 5, 7 and 20 October 2016 and was announced. We last inspected this service on 20 August 2013 and found the provider was meeting the regulations we inspected against.

IAS 83 Union St is located in Oldham, Lancashire and provides a range of learning disability support services for adults. Support is provided for people who either choose to live alone or share a home with a group of other people within the Oldham area. At the time of the inspection there were 50 people using the service.

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 and relatives were happy with the quality of the care provided. People were treated with respect by kind and considerate care workers. Care workers supported people where possible to make their own choices and promoted people’s independence.

People and relatives felt the service was safe.

Care workers had a good understanding of safeguarding and the whistle blowing procedure. They knew how to raise concerns but said they did not have concerns about people’s safety. Specially adapted information about safeguarding had been written for people using the service. Previous safeguarding concerns had been dealt with in line with agreed procedures.

Trained care workers administered people’s medicines. The provider kept accurate records to account for the medicines people had been given. Regular audits and observations were carried out to check people received their medicines when they needed them.

Where potential risks had been identified a risk assessment was in place to help keep people safe.

People received their support from reliable care workers. People living in their own homes in the community confirmed care workers consistently arrived on time.

There were effective recruitment processes in place to ensure new care workers were suitable to work with people using the service.

Care workers said they felt well supported and had the training they needed. Regular one to one meetings took place between care workers and their managers.

The provider followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Care workers were skilled at enabling people to make choices and decisions. There was detailed guidance for staff to refer to about the most effective methods of communication for each person.

People received the support they needed to meet their nutritional needs. This ranged from prompts and encouragement to practical assistance.

Care workers supported people to access external healthcare services when required.

The provider had acted on feedback from relatives to implement changes to how people received their support.

Care plans were very person centred and clearly identified people’s care preferences. Care plans were reviewed periodically involving people and where appropriate relatives. At the time of this inspection some reviews were overdue.

People were involved in a wide range of activities which they had chosen. Some people accessed the local community independently to attend college, work placements and to socialise. The provider was developing opportunities for people to get together and develop friendships.

People knew how to complain but did not have any concerns about their support. Complaints were thoroughly investigated and appropriate action taken to resolve the situation.

Local authority commissioners described the service as having “positive management and leadership”.

The provider was pro-active about developing new initiatives and using learning to develop and enhance its services.

There were opportunities for people and care workers to give their views about the service. T

As part of the inspection, we spoke with eight people who use the service and the relatives of another three people who use the service. The people we spoke with told us the staff always listened to them and discussed their care needs with them on a regular basis.

The people we spoke with told us they were happy with the care they received. They told us the staff supported them to do the things they wanted to do, such as going shopping or on holidays.

The people we spoke with who received support with their medication told us they were happy with the support they received and that they were always given their medication on time.

The people we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the care staff. They told us the staff were helpful and supported them appropriately. They also told us the staff always arrived on time.

People's care records contained information to show how people were to be supported and cared for and how their dignity and privacy were to be respected.

The people being supported looked relaxed and happy. One of the people told us, “I like living here”.

Systems were in place to help protect people by ensuring that staff were suitably trained in the safeguarding of vulnerable people.

Arrangements were in place to ensure that people using the service were cared for by staff that were suitably trained and safely recruited.

An effective ‘easy read’ complaints procedure was in place.