Meldan is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service was first registered in January 2018 and this is the first fully comprehensive inspection of the service.

Meldan is a purpose built residential care home located within Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and provides personal care and support for a maximum of four people with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders. The service has four large bedrooms, a communal lounge, conservatory, dining area, bathrooms, laundry area and a kitchen which have all been designed to support and encourage the independence of the people living there. At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the service.

There was a registered manager in post who had been registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since January 2018. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 registered manager was aware of their responsibilities and had clear vision for the service in partnership with the provider’s organisation vision. The registered manager had submitted notifications to the Commission appropriately.

The registered manager worked with staff to promote the independence of people living at the service to help to enable them to achieve their aspirations for life. The care service has 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.

During the inspection we observed people carrying out activities with staff and attending sessions in the local community. We saw records of activities undertaken by people and they were supported to carry out their own choices for activities. 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. The service actively encouraged regular feedback from people and relatives about the service and the care provided.

There was a quality and assurance process in place to monitor the quality and safety of the care provided to people. There was a robust governance framework in place which documented regular auditing of the service by the registered manager and provider. Care plans for people reflected their individual needs and personal risks were assessed and mitigated. There were regular reviews of people’s care needs and these reviews included involvement from other health care professionals.

People were treated with dignity and respect by staff. We observed caring, kind and warm interactions between staff and people. People and staff knew each other well and staff understood how to effectively support each person. Relatives were happy with the care provided by staff to people and were very complementary about the staff.

We found there were policies and procedures in place to help keep people safe. Staff were safely recruited and they were provided with all the necessary induction and training required for their role. Staffing levels at the service matched the assessed needs for people living at the service. Staff received training in delivering end of life care and accessed regular training sessions in all mandatory training modules. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals in line with the provider’s supervision policy.

The service had a comprehensive compl