About the service: Mencap Central Notts service provides care and support to people living in three ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. There were 13 people using the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

People’s experience of using this service: The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways; promotion of choice and control and independence and inclusion. For example, people's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible to gain new skills and increase or maintain their independence.

People told us they received safe care by consistent staff members. People received support to take their medicines safely. Risks to people's well-being and their home environment were recorded and updated when their circumstances changed.

People's rights to make their own decisions were respected. People were supported to access healthcare services if needed. Staff had appropriate skills and knowledge to deliver care and support in a person-centred way. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink.

People received caring and compassionate support from the staff. Staff referred to people in a respectful way. People were complimentary about staff and the positive relationships they had with them. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and people were supported to be as independent as possible.

People received personalised support based on their assessed needs and preferences. Staff knew how to support people in the way they preferred. People knew how to complain.

The service was managed by a registered manager who had a clear vision about the quality of care they wanted to provide. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities. A range of quality assurance checks were carried out to monitor and improve standards. We received positive feedback on the management and leadership of the service. The service worked well with other community partners.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated Good (report published July 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will monitor all intelligence received about the service to inform the assessment of the risk profile of the service and to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.

More information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 11 and 12 May 2016 and was announced.

Mencap Central Nottinghamshire Services provide care and support for people with a learning disability who live in their own homes in the community. At the time of inspection 24 people were receiving care and support from the service

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. The registered manager was not present during our inspection, but the deputy manager was able to spend time with us to explain how they provided support to people and staff.

People who used the service and those supporting them knew who to report any concerns to if they felt they or others had been the victim of abuse. Any risks to the health and safety of people and staff had been identified and detailed plans were in place to reduce these risks. Accidents and incidents were investigated. There were enough staff to support people well and ensure that people’s needs were met. People received their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported by staff who had received the appropriate training to support them effectively. Staff received supervision of their work. People received the support they required from their staff to ensure they had sufficient to eat and drink. People were provided with the support they needed to enable them to have access to their GP and other health care professionals when they needed them.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the use of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff were aware of the principles of the MCA and how this might affect the care they provided to people. Where people had the capacity they were asked to provide their consent to the care being provided.

People were supported by staff who were caring and treated them with kindness, respect and dignity. People were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care to ensure that they received the care they wanted.

Care plans were written in a way that focused on people’s choices and preferences. A complaints procedure was in place and people felt comfortable to speak up if they were unhappy about any aspect of the service they received.

The culture of the service was open. People were supported by staff who were clear about what was expected of them and staff had confidence that they would get the support they needed from the registered manager. People and staff were asked for their opinions about the quality of the service. The registered manager undertook audits and observed practice to ensure that the care provided met people’s needs.

People who used the service were not available to speak with us during our visit to the service so used a number of different methods to help us understand their experiences.

We spoke with three support workers and three service managers. We also looked at some of the records held in the service including the care files for five people.

During this inspection we visited two locations which had three people sharing accommodation in each. Two of the people we visited were able to tell us about their views of their support workers and the quality of the service they received. We also visited the provider's office. We spoke with two relatives of people who used the service, the manager, three support workers and a care coordinator.

People were encouraged to live as independent a life as possible and were actively involved with their community. A person who used the service told us, "I know what support I’m getting. They (staff) talk to me all the time about what they are doing. I’m never forced to do anything I don’t want to do.”

People's need were met and they were safe. One person who used the service told us, “I feel really safe living here.” A relative we spoke with told us, “He is definitely safe at the house, much safer than where he lived before. I have no complaints whatsoever.”

There were enough appropriately skilled and trained staff to provide effective care and support for people. A relative we spoke with told us, “There are always two staff there to support him; the staff are great, I am really happy with them.”

The quality of the service provided was monitored and assessed by the manager. People's views were welcomed, respected and acted on.