We inspected 52 Summerheath Road on 7 December 2016. The inspection visit was announced two days before we visited so we could be sure the manager, staff and people were available to speak with us.

Jemini Response Limited – 52 Summerheath Road provides accommodation for up to seven young adults who have a learning disability and autistic spectrum disorder. There were seven people living at the home at the time of our inspection. People had a range of complex care needs associated with their condition. Jemini Response Limited – 52 Summerheath Road is owned by Jemini Response Limited and has two other homes in the South East.

The home was a house in a residential street. There were several communal areas people could use which included two lounge areas, a dining area, a garden with outbuildings and the kitchen. Each person also had their own bedroom.

A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. There was an experienced registered manager in post at the time of our inspection visit who had been at the service for several years. We refer to the registered manager as the manager in the body of this report.

Staff received training in safeguarding adults and understood the correct procedure to follow if they had any concerns about people’s safety. All necessary checks had been completed before new staff started work at the home to make sure, as far as possible, they were safe to work with the people who lived there. The manager and staff identified risks to people who used the service and took action to manage identified risks and keep people safe.

There were enough staff employed at the service to care for people safely and effectively. People were supported by a staff team that knew them well. New staff completed an induction programme when they started work to ensure they had the skills they needed to support people effectively. Staff received refresher training and had their practice observed to ensure they had the necessary skills to support people. Staff had regular meetings with their manager in which their performance and development was discussed and development plans were agreed.

People’s care was planned with them, and the support of their relatives and staff at 52 Summerheath Road. This helped to ensure care matched people’s individual needs, abilities and preferences.

People were supported to maintain their purpose and pleasure in life. Activities, hobbies and interests were based around each person's interests. Events and activities were organised both inside and outside the home. Staff offered people ways to maintain and develop their independence and increase their life skills.

People were actively encouraged to maintain links with friends and relations. Staff were caring and involved people in developing their environment to meet their life and support needs.

The manager and staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure people were looked after in a way that did not inappropriately restrict their freedom. The manager had made applications to the local authority where people’s freedom was restricted, in accordance with DoLS and the MCA.

People were supported with their health needs and had access to a range of healthcare professionals where a need had been identified. There were systems in place to ensure medicines were administered safely. People were encouraged to eat a balanced diet that took account of their preferences and nutritional needs.

People who used the service and their relatives, were encouraged to share their views about how the serv