The inspection was completed on 8 December 2016 and there were 16 people living at the service at the time of our unannounced inspection.

Jamesons RCH Wormingford Road provides accommodation and personal care for up to 16 adults living with a learning disability. This service is one of six services registered by the same provider under the umbrella of ‘Jameson’s Residential Care Home Limited.’

A registered manager was 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.

People told us the service was a safe place to live and that there were sufficient staff available to meet their needs. Appropriate arrangements were in place to recruit staff safely so as to ensure they were the right people. Staff were able to demonstrate a good understanding and knowledge of people’s specific support needs, so as to ensure their and others’ safety.

Medicines were safely stored, recorded and administered in line with current guidance to ensure people received their prescribed medicines to meet their needs. This meant that people received their prescribed medicines as they should and in a safe way.

Staff understood the risks and signs of potential abuse and the relevant safeguarding processes to follow. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were appropriately assessed, managed and reviewed to mitigate risks.

Staff received opportunities for training and this ensured that staff employed at the service had the right skills to meet people’s needs. Staff demonstrated a good understanding and awareness of how to treat people with privacy, respect and dignity.

The dining experience for people was positive and people were complimentary about the quality of meals provided. People who used the service and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Care plans accurately reflected people’s care and support needs. People had good healthcare support and accessed healthcare services when required. Appropriate assessments had been carried out where people living at the service were not able to make decisions for themselves and to help ensure their rights were protected. People received appropriate support to have their social care needs met.

An effective system was in place to respond to complaints and concerns. The provider’s quality assurance arrangements were appropriate to ensure that where improvements to the quality of the service was identified, these were addressed.

We spoke with three people and two members of staff as well as observing people who used the service. People appeared happy with the support they received from the service. Both of the people we spoke with were happy with the service. Observations made during the inspection showed us that staff had positive interactions with people. Choice was offered and people's decisions were respected. Staff we spoke with demonstrated a clear understanding of involving people in day-to-day decisions about their care. Interactions with people were respectful. Staff were aware of people's needs and how they needed to assist them.

Staff we spoke with had knowledge of safeguarding. All of the staff we spoke with knew the forms of abuse, and indicators and symptoms to be aware of. Staff we spoke with told us they were confident in reporting concerns and felt that there was an open environment fostered by the provider. All staff we spoke with talked positively about working for the provider and felt they benefitted from appropriate training, communication and support. The provider had conducted a detailed quality survey. Feedback from relatives was positive regarding the service provided.

Most people living in the service were not able to communicate with us verbally; some people shared their views through gestures, facial expressions and body language wherever possible. We spoke with two people who said they liked living in the service. One person told us they were very happy with their room. We saw and observed care processes for some people in the service. We observed people engaged in daily activities with staff members supervising and helping them to engage in activities appropriate for each individual’s ability.