We inspected this service on 10 January 2018 and the inspection was announced. This meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the service’s office before we arrived. At our previous inspection in November 2015, the service was meeting the regulations that we checked and received an overall rating of Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Mencap South Notts Services provides support to adults with a learning disability and associated conditions. Some people lived in supported living houses which were owned and maintained by another provider and people that lived in these properties had a tenancy agreement with this provider. Other people lived in their own homes within the community. There were 21 people receiving personal care support from Mencap South Notts Services at the time of the inspection.

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. The registered manager oversaw the running of the full service and was supported by three service managers and three assistant service managers.

People were supported to understand how to keep safe and staff were clear on their role on protecting people from the risk of harm. Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns and record safety incidents. These were reviewed and analysed to ensure actions could be taken to reduce risks and promote a safe environment. Individual risks to people were identified and people were supported to take reasonable risks to promote independent living. Environmental risks within people’s homes were also undertaken.

People were protected against the risk of abuse, as checks were made to confirm staff were of good character before they commenced employment. The numbers and skill mix of staff ensured people’s needs were met. Medicines were managed safely and people were supported as needed to take their medicine as prescribed.

People were consulted regarding their preferences and interests and these were incorporated into their support plan to ensure they were supported to lead the life they wanted to. 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 were supported to be as independent as they could be and assistive technology and accessible information was in place to support people in achieving this. The staff team knew people well and were provided with the right training and support to enable them to promote people’s independence and autonomy.

We inspected this service on 27 November 2015 and the inspection was announced. This meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the service’s office before we arrived. This was the first inspection since registration in April 2014. Mencap South Notts Services provides personal care for younger adults and adults with a learning disability and associated conditions. There were 53 people using the service at the time of our inspection.

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. The registered manager oversaw the running of the full service and was supported by service managers who are allocated a geographical area to manage. Service managers were responsible for individual parts of the service, for example support to people in a supported living unit or support to people living with their family or alone.

Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and were responsive to their needs. People were protected against the risk of abuse, as checks were made to confirm staff were of good character to work with people. Sufficient staff were available to meet people's diverse needs Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to take their medicine as prescribed.

Risk assessments and support plans had been developed with the involvement of people and their representatives. Staff had the relevant information on how to minimise identified risks to ensure people were supported in a safe way. Staff understood people’s needs and abilities and were provided with training to support the people they worked with. Staff received supervision, to support and develop their skills. Equipment was in place to meet people’s diverse needs which enabled them to maintain choice and independence. Staff knew about people’s individual capacity to make decisions and supported people to make their own decisions. When people were unable to consent mental capacity assessment and best interest decisions were completed. People’s needs and preferences were met when they were supported with their dietary needs and people were supported to maintain good health.

The delivery of care was tailored to meet people’s individual needs and preferences.  People were supported develop and maintain hobbies and interests within the local community to promote equality and integration. The provider actively sought and included people and their representatives in the planning of care. There were processes in place for people to express their views and opinions about the service provided and to raise any concerns they had. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.