Market Place is a small home divided into two flats which provides care and support for two adults with learning disabilities. The care service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from harm. Risk assessments were in place and these promoted people’s independence when at the service and when accessing the community. Medicines were managed safely. Incidents and accidents were reported and lessons learned were shared with staff. Safe recruitment practice was followed and there was enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Staff were trained and supported to carry out their roles. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People using the service said staff were kind and caring and that staff respected their privacy and dignity.

Care and support plans were person centred and detailed people’s personal goals. Staff knew people well and understood their needs. People confirmed that staff supported them as they wanted. Complaints were reported, investigated and resolved. Feedback from people and their relatives was sought.

There were robust quality assurance processes in place. Staff spoke highly of the registered manager. The provider’s values were embedded in the day to day support of people.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 12 March 2016 and was announced. The service was last inspected 4 March 2014 and was found to be meeting the requirements of the law at that time.

Market Place is a small home divided into two flats which provides care and support for two young people. The home is run by Step-a-Side Care and is located in the community and with good access to local amenities. The service had a registered manager in place. 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 service aims to support young adults to develop independence skills to enable them to move on to more independent living settings. They provide one to one care for young people living at the service and work closely with the young people’s social workers, family and health professionals whilst they are living at the service. It was clear when entering the service that you were in the young people’s home. Support was delivered in a person centred way and took account of the young people’s views and preferences. The young people were involved in all aspects of the support that they received and took part in regular reviews of their placement at the service. One person said 'I am involved in my review meetings and sometimes I get to chair them'.

The young people were supported to be part of their communities. One person attended college and the other had applied for a training placement. There was an on-going programme of activities for the young people both in the service and out in the community. One person told us 'we get to do lots here, horse riding, trampolining and going to the gym.'

The service provided the young people with a supportive and therapeutic environment, which aimed to develop the young people that used the service. Clear boundaries were agreed and set with the young people. Professionals involved in working with the young people commented on how well the staff team maintained these boundaries in a consistent way. This provided the young people with the structure to their lives, which allowed them to take more responsibility for their actions and behaviour. Professionals and a relative we spoke with told us that this helped the young people to improve their behaviour and become more self-confident and independent.

The provider ensured that the staff team working at the service were well trained and supported effectively to carry out their roles. Staff told us that they felt valued by the provider and this was reflected in the low turnover rate of staff working at the service.

The service was well managed and care records were maintained and kept up to date. The registered manager ensured that any incidents which occurred were discussed in debrief meetings held shortly after them. During these meetings staff involved examined what occurred during the incident and how they could be prevented or better managed in future. The registered manager worked hard to ensure that the service kept on learning from experiences and improving.

We spoke with staff, one of the two people who lived at the home and the psychologist who provided a service to the home, during our visit. The manager was on holiday. The person we spoke with was very complimentary about the service, the accommodation and about the staff, with one exception.

The care plans and risk assessments were very comprehensive, providing staff with clear information about supporting people. We saw and heard about the opportunities available to people to experience a wide range of activities. People were encouraged to develop skills and independence within a supported environment.

We were told that "this is a really good company to work for "and "the company recognises the importance of providing a good service for the people they support".

We found that the provider was providing a service which respected the privacy and dignity of people who used their service. Assessment and reviews conducted by the service had consulted with people and recorded how they wished to be supported. People told us:” that staff are good and help me when I need it" and” I really like my flat". Regular reviews had ensured that staff followed support plans and respected the wishes and choices of people using the service. People who lived at the service had worked with staff to review and record their choices and outcomes in the short and longer term. People living at the service were engaged in a wide range of activities.

There were sufficient skilled and experienced staff to safely meet the needs of people living at the service. The standard of induction and subsequent training for staff was of a good standard. The home had been well maintained and there were detailed systems to monitor health and safety at the property. There were also regular audits conducted of the environment, and other areas of how the service was operating, as an element of quality assurance monitoring. In summary, this inspection found that 29 Market Place was providing a good standard of care and support to the people were using the service.

People told us they enjoyed living at 29 Market Place and received good quality care and support from the staff and manager. People were fully involved in planning and reviewing their care and identifying how they wished to further develop their independence skills.

We were told it was a safe place to live and that staff were friendly, listened to concerns and treated them with respect.

People were supported to make choices about their activities in the home and out in the community.

Staff told us they were well supported, received good training opportunities and worked well as a team.

The service had systems in place to regularly check and audit the quality of service provision.