Longhouse is a purpose built home which provides accommodation for up to six people. People who stay at Longhouse have a learning and/or a physical disability. They generally live in their own home with a relative or a carer and stay at Longhouse when their relatives/carers need a break from their role as their main carer. This is known as respite care. There were three people staying in the home at the time of our inspection. Each bedroom has a private toilet and shower facility. People have access to the communal lounge and dining room and a secure garden.

At the last inspection in September 2015 the service was rated Good.

This inspection took place 18 October 2017 and was unannounced. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People who stayed at Longhouse had a range of diverse needs. Their care records reflected their preferences and support requirements and provided staff with the information they needed to support people. People’s risks had been assessed and were being managed by staff who knew how to support them to manage their risks. Relatives were confident that staff supported people well and had no concerns about the quality of care people received. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Good communication between the relatives/carers and staff ensured that all parties were kept up to date of any changes in people’s well-being. Health care professionals praised the responsiveness of staff.

There were enough staff to keep people safe. People were supported by an established staff team who had been trained and supported to carry out their role. Robust recruitment procedures were in place to make sure staff were suitable to provide people with personal care.

Safe and accountable systems were in place to ensure the safe management of people’s medicines and monies. Staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from harm and report any concerns. Staff benefitted from good management and leadership. Effective quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the service and drive improvements. The service acted promptly when concerns were raised.

This inspection took place on 23 September 2015 and was unannounced. Longhouse is a purpose built home which provides accommodation for up to six people. Each bedroom has private toilet and shower facilities. People have access to the communal lounge and dining room and a secure garden.

People who stay at Longhouse have a learning and/or a physical disability. They generally live in their own home with a relative or a carer and stay at Longhouse when their relatives need a break from their role as a carer. Throughout the majority of our time at Longhouse there were only two people staying at the home. However during the late afternoon a further two people arrived for their planned stay.

A registered manager was in place as required by their conditions of registration. 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 they enjoyed staying at Longhouse. They said staff were very friendly and kind. Staff knew people well and chatted to them in a relaxed and warm manner. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs and risks. Discussions with people’s relatives before they stayed at the home helped staff to understand if there had been any changes in their support requirements. However, the level of detail about people’s risks was not always consistently recorded. Whilst people’s regular medicines were managed well, the reasons why some people required additional medicines sometimes was not always clearly documented. Staff received advice and support about people’s needs from other health care services when needed. People had the opportunity to carry out activities in the home and out in the community and enjoyed a variety of meals.

People told us they felt safe at the home and there were enough staff to meet their needs. Extra staff were provided when people required additional support with their care and social activities. There was a low turnover of staff in the home. Training plans and systems were in place to ensure people were cared for by staff who received regular training and support from their line manager. Staff told us they felt supported and trained to carry out their role.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff and the registered manager. Relatives told us any day to day concerns, which they had raised, were always dealt with immediately. The registered manager valued people’s feedback and responded to their concerns. Monitoring systems were in place to ensure the services were operating effectively and safely. Internal and external audits were carried out to continually monitor the overall services provided. Plans were in place to improve the monitoring of the home by the provider.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service. Because some people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not always able to tell us their experiences. We spoke with two people, observed staff interacting with people, spoke with staff about people's needs and examined their care records. Four people were using the service during our visit and four members of care staff were on duty. Three people were taken on an outing with two members of care staff. We spoke with two people who told us they had enjoyed their trip out. One person told us how much they enjoyed their respite stay at this service and confirmed they had access to activities of their choosing. One person was not able to communicate their needs verbally with staff but staff explained how they communicated with this person.

The registered manager told us the regulated activity of personal care was no longer being used. We discussed how this could be removed from their registration.

We found personalised care plans were in place for all assessed needs in the three people's care records we examined. Risks had been identified and plans were also in place for these. Care staff were very knowledgeable about people's specific needs.

Staff had access to on-going training and supervision to make sure people's needs were met.

A system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received was in place.

The provider was registered for the regulated activity personal care which they were no longer providing. They have been told how to remove this regulated activity from the registration of this location.

We spoke with three people who were staying for respite care. We also observed how they were supported by staff. People told us they liked staying for respite. One person was observed helping with the baking and preparing their lunch. They told us they enjoyed going out to local shops and cafes and for walks. Their care records were person centred and reflected their likes, dislikes, routines and preferences for the way in which they liked to be supported.

Longhouse provided accommodation of the highest standards. People told us they liked their rooms. Each bedroom had an en suite which included a wet room and shower. Overhead tracking was provided in all bedrooms and bathrooms. Where specialist equipment was needed this was provided.

People told us staff were "nice" and "ok". The provider had received feedback from relatives which included, "staff are very nice people" and "you have got a friendly and helpful staff team". Staffing levels were flexible and reflected the needs of people who stayed for respite care.

There was a complaints system in place. Feedback the provider had received as part of their quality assurance process included, "dealt with complaint straight away" and "any concerns are always mentioned on pre-visit relatives call".