The inspection took place on the 4 and 9 November 2016 and was announced. At the last inspection the service was meeting the legal requirements.

Luton Road is a supported living service currently providing accommodation and support to 11 people with a learning disability. Each person had their own flat with a bathroom and kitchen. There was a communal kitchen in both sites for people to use.

The service had 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.

People had risk assessments to protect them whilst in their flats and also in the community. Risk was assessed regularly and staff could explain people's individual risks and what should be done to safeguard them.

People were kept safe from abuse as staff knew how to identify abuse and who to report it to. People also knew they could report concerns to staff and safeguarding was discussed during people’s key working sessions and house meetings.

Medicines were managed safely and management carried out checks to audit the competency of staff to ensure medicines were stored, recorded and administered safely. People at the service knew the times they received medicines from staff.

Safe recruitment was carried out with the involvement of people during the interview process. Staff had to complete a number of pre-employment checks to ensure suitability to work with people in a care setting.

Equipment used during the service was regularly checked and staff performed visual checks to ensure safety.

Staff received regular supervision and an annual appraisal. Training was also available to keep staff knowledge and skills up to date.

People were asked for their consent before being given care and staff demonstrated they understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People’s meals were prepared with the support of staff and staff explained the importance of healthy eating to people. Health professionals were involved in care planning and staff showed they understood what had been written to ensure people were eating healthily and safely during mealtimes.

People were supported by caring staff who took the time to listen them. Privacy and dignity was maintained and staff maintained people’s confidentiality when having talking to them.

People had personalised care plans which detailed information about the person, their life history, skills and goals they wanted to achieve. People had a keyworker who they met with monthly to discuss progress towards these goals.

Staff were supported by the registered manager they thought was very good and took the time to listen to them and give advice. Regular audits were performed to ensure the quality of the service.

People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and support. For example, one person was supported to chair the residents meeting. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people’s safety and welfare. People’s needs were assessed using a clear framework that took account of diverse needs.

The provider responded appropriately to any allegation of abuse.

The service had taken on an apprentice who was now permanently employed at the service. Some staff were able, from time to time, to obtain further relevant training and qualifications with a view to succession planning. The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

One relative we spoke to told us they were very happy with the assessment process. They said the manager and staff were very patient with them and really listened to what they were saying about how to provide the care.

We saw all files contained personal care guidelines which clearly stated what people could do for themselves. The areas the guideline covered included waking up, support in the shower, support with dressing and support with meals.

People who used the service said they felt very safe and if they had any concerns they would tell the person who comes to talk to them about complaints. One relative we spoke with told us “safety was our main concern when selecting a service. We feel our relative is very safe with the staff that supports them.”

We saw the organisation offers a number of annual training courses which included medication awareness, first aid, mental health, manual handling and hazardous risks.

There was evidence that learning from incidents took place and appropriate changes were implemented. Incident reports were completed and sent to head office where reports were produced on a quarterly basis. The reports outlined trends and looked at different ways to reduce incidents happening.