About the service:

Keal View is registered to provide accommodation and support for up to 11 people who have a learning disability. People are invited to have short breaks in the service so that they can have a holiday, giving their main carers time to themselves.

At the time of this inspection there were three people staying for short breaks at the service.

The service applied the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensured that people could live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control over their own lives, choice, and independence.

People’s experience of using this service:

•People received safe and effective care from staff who understood how to recognise and report issues of concern and potential abuse.

•People were supported with positive risk taking in ways which enabled people to stay safe, maintain their independence and enjoy their short breaks at the service.

•People and their circle of support were involved in planning and reviewing the care they received.

•People received responsive care and support from a team of trained staff who demonstrated the principles of person centred care within their work.

•Staff were caring. People were treated with respect and kindness and their rights were upheld. Staff understood people's preferences and choices and respected the decisions they made.

•The registered manager and staff were supported to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge using the framework of training and development the registered provider had in place.

•People and staff, expressed confidence in the registered manager and staff demonstrated a team approach to the development of the services provided.

•Systems and processes were in place to monitor the quality of the service provision and to make any necessary improvements when shortfalls were identified.

•The registered providers open and inclusive culture enabled people and staff, to share ideas and work in partnership with each other as part of the continuation of service development.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published August 2016).

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Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated good overall.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

We inspected Keal View on 28 July 2016. The inspection was unannounced.

Keal View is registered to provide accommodation and support for up to 11 people who have a learning disability. People are invited to have short breaks at the home so that they can have a holiday. It is situated within the grounds of the provider’s college services.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. 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. Throughout this report we refer to the registered manager and the registered provider as ‘the manager’ and ‘the provider’.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered

necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves.

People were supported to make their own decisions and choices whenever they were able to do so. The manager and staff understood the legal safeguards set out within the MCA and followed them when people were unable to make their own decisions and choices. At the time of the inspection no-one who regularly stayed in the home was subject to restrictions under DoLS guidance and the manager and staff knew how to apply for authorisations if there was a need.

People were treated with respect and dignity. Staff offered support in a kind and caring manner and promoted people’s right to privacy.

People had been consulted about the support they wanted to receive and they had been given all of the assistance they needed. People were able to enjoy a varied social life and they were supported to maintain and develop their life skills. There was a system in place for resolving complaints and people and their relatives knew how to raise concerns.

Staff knew how to identify and manage any risks that people may experience when they stayed in the home. Medicines were managed safely and people received the support they needed with their healthcare, including support to eat and drink enough to stay healthy.

There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed. Staff had received training and guidance and they knew how to support people in the right way.

Quality checks had been completed to ensure that people received the support and services they needed. The home was managed in an open and inclusive manner and good team work was promoted. Staff were encouraged to speak out if they had any concerns and to share their views and ideas to help the home develop the services it offered.

On the day of our inspection visit there was one person staying in the service. We spoke with them and with another person who was present but who was not using the service at the time. In addition, we spoke with four parents. Everyone we spoke with gave us positive feedback about the service. A person said, “It’s sound here, I like it here and would come here more often if I could.” A parent said, “All in all I’m very pleased with the care my son receives and can’t speak too highly about Keal View.”

Staff had consulted with people and their parents about what support each person needed and wanted to have.

People said that they received all of the health and personal care they needed. Records confirmed that assistance had been provided in a safe, reliable and responsive way.

People who used the service, staff and visitors were protected against the risk of unsuitable or unsafe premises.

Quality checks had been completed to help ensure that people reliably received the support they needed within a safe setting.

During our visit we spoke with six people who used the service, the manager and two care workers.

The people who used this service told us they were happy with the care they were given. They told us how they talked with staff about their needs and preferences. One person explained that they had set their own personal goals and staff were helping them to manage their money and cook their meals.

Comments from other people we spoke with included, ”We talk about the care plans at the key worker meetings” and “I chose my key worker, I really like him. He tells me jokes and makes me laugh.”

People who used the service told us they liked the staff who looked after them. They said the staff always asked them how they were and what they needed help with. One person said, “I like all the staff, best I.T.’s (independence tutor’s) here.” Another person said,” The staff are very friendly and nice.”

Everyone we spoke with was looking forward to the Graduation party at the end of the week. One person told us, “I am going in a soft top Audi, we are picking up my girlfriend from Skegness. I am really excited about everything.” Another person showed us their new dress for the party and described how they were going to have their hair styled.