The inspection was carried out on 10 August 2016 and was unannounced.

Kynaston Farm is registered to provide accommodation with personal care needs to six people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were six people living at the home on the day of the inspection.

There was a registered manager in post who was present during the inspection. 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 their relatives were very impressed with the quality of the service and the excellent opportunities it provided to enable people to live fulfilled lives. The registered manager had a clear vision for the service which was embraced by staff. There was an open and culture where people were actively involved in the running of the home. The provider strove for continual improvement and explored different methods to gain opinions and views to develop the service.

People received care and support that was tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Staff actively sought opportunities to broaden people’s life experience and supported people to achieve their aspirations. People were involved in the day to day running of their home and were able to choose who they wanted to work with them. Staff knew people well and were quick to respond to any changes in their needs.

People were supported by staff who had received training in how to recognise and reports any concerns of abuse. Staff were aware of the risks associated with people’s needs and took action to minimise these without restricting their choice or independence. Accidents and incidents were investigated and actions taken to minimise recurrence and to inform staff learning. There were enough staff to support people safely both within the home and when they went out. The provider completed checks to ensure prospective new staff were suitable before they started working with people.

People received support to take their medicine by trained staff who received regular competency assessments to ensure the safe management of medicines. Medicines were stored securely and accurate records maintained. Staff monitored people’s health and maintained good working relationships with healthcare professionals who provided advice and guidance for them to follow.

People were supported by motivated staff who had received training and guidance to meet their individual needs. Staff felt valued and supported by the management team

People were supported to choose and prepare their own food and drink. People’s nutritional needs were routinely assessed, monitored and reviewed. Where required people were provided with equipment and staff support to help them feed themselves.

People and their relatives were actively involved in decisions about their care and support. The provider’s speech and language therapist team had developed communication passports with people to ensure effective communication. Staff were aware of people’s preferred method of communication and provided information in a way they could understand to enable them to make their own decisions.

The provider had a clear complaints procedure which was available in different formats. People had not had cause to complain, but were confident should the need arise these would be dealt with efficiently.