Green Lane provides care and support for up to five people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection there were five people living at the service.

At the last inspection in August 2015, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service has 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.

There were safeguarding systems in place. Staff understood their responsibilities with regards to safeguarding people and were confident in reporting any concerns. Referrals had been made to the local authority when identified as required, however outcomes and actions were not consistently recorded.

People had risk assessments in place that gave guidance to staff on how individual risks could be minimised. Incidents and accidents that occurred at the service were reported promptly to senior members of staff and recorded, however it was not clear within records that the actions identified to prevent reoccurrence had been completed.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people's needs. Effective recruitment processes were in place however the records to demonstrate that these had been followed were not consistently maintained.

Medicines were managed safely. The processes in place ensured that the administration and handling of medicines was suitable for the people living at the service. All medicines were stored appropriately and audits completed.

Staff were well trained and completed an effective induction programme when they commenced work at the service. Staff were supported in their roles and received regular supervision and appraisals.

Staff treated people with kindness and respect. Privacy and dignity was promoted throughout care and support and people’s consent was gained.

Care plans took account of people’s individual needs, preferences and choices and had been reviewed regularly.

People were supported to participate in a range of activities and follow their interests.

The service was led by a registered manager who was visible and approachable.

Quality monitoring systems and processes were used effectively to drive improvements in the service and identify where action needed to be taken.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 14 August 2015 and was unannounced. The service provides accommodation and personal care for up to five people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum condition. On the day of the inspection, there five people using the service.

The service is required to 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The manager took up their post in June 2015 and was not yet registered with the commission. However, they had submitted their application for registration.

People felt safe and they were protected against possible risk of harm. Risks to individuals had been assessed and managed appropriately. There were sufficient numbers of experienced and skilled staff to care for people safely. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines regularly and as prescribed.

People received care and support from staff who were competent in their roles. Staff had received relevant training and support. They understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and were aware of how to support people who lacked mental capacity. People’s nutritional and health care needs were met. They were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing and had access to and received support from other health care professionals.

The experiences of people who lived at the care home were positive. They were treated with kindness and compassion and they had been involved in the decisions about their care where possible. People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted.

People’s health care needs were assessed, reviewed and delivered in a way that promoted their wellbeing. They were supported to pursue their leisure activities both outside the home and to join in activities provided at the home. An effective complaints procedure was in place.

There was a caring culture and effective systems in operation to seek the views of people and other stakeholders in order to assess and monitor the quality of service provision. 

The people who lived at Green Lane did not have verbal communication skills. We saw that all of the people who lived in the home showed signs of wellbeing and we saw that there was easy and effective communication between the staff and the people.

We saw evidence that the people’s health and welfare was promoted. There was sufficient number of trained staff on duty to care for the people. We saw that they lived in safe, well maintained premises.

The people who live at Green Lane were not able to verbalise how they felt about living in the home. We saw that the staff interacted very well with the people and there was a calm atmosphere in the home. We saw clear affection between the people and the staff. All the people had lived in the home together for over 20 years and there was a very low turnover of staff. We saw that the people were relaxed around the staff and we saw that staff had very communication skills.

We looked at how the people's health, dignity and independence were promoted, how people were cared for and how the people were kept safe. We found the home cared for the people well.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us their experiences. When we visited the home on 29 December 2011 we observed how the staff interacted with them, and we talked with them about the home. The staff showed that they were aware of each person’s individual needs and how they communicated those needs.