This inspection was announced and took place on 27 January 2017. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a supported living and domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure the manager would be available for the inspection. It also allowed us to arrange to see people during the day.

Mencap Yeovil Support Services provides personal care and support for people with a learning disability or mental health condition living in the community. The care and support is provided for people living in supported housing in the Yeovil area. People who live in the shared supported living properties have individual tenancy agreements. At the time of the inspection Mencap Yeovil Support Services were providing support for nine people receiving personal care. We met two people who were living at one of the supported living houses. We also observed how people interacted with staff and whether they were relaxed and happy.

This was the organisations first inspection since they registered at their new address in March 2015.

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.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had clear knowledge and understanding of their personal needs, likes and dislikes. Staff had a good understanding of how people preferred to be supported both in their home and within the community. People were able to talk with senior staff in the office at any time as the service managers also worked shifts in the supported living units. This meant the staff in the office knew people very well. People who received care and support from Mencap Yeovil Support Services indicated they were happy with the service provided. One person said, “They are all brilliant, I am really happy.” Another person said, “I think they look after us very well.”

People’s care needs were recorded and reviewed regularly with staff and the person receiving the care. All support plans included written consent to care if people agreed or were able to sign. Support workers had comprehensive information and guidance in support plans to deliver consistent care the way people preferred. We found staff were motivated and committed to ensuring people received the agreed level of support. Each person had a core team of support staff specifically assigned to them. This ensured people were familiar with the staff who supported them and had managed to build trusting relationships.

Staff told us the training they received was good and that the training could be very specific to people’s needs if something was identified. They explained they had attended autism awareness training and MAPA training. This is ‘Management of Actual or Potential Aggression’ training. This training enables staff to understand how to de-escalate potentially challenging incidents. Staff said this gave them the skills they needed to recognise the triggers which could lead to behaviours that could be challenging for staff and react positively.

We observed people were cared for and supported by staff who were polite, compassionate and caring. People receiving the service had a very relaxed and cheerful relationship with the support workers supporting them at the time of our visit. Staff spoke passionately about the care and support they provided whilst maintaining confidentiality.

People were protected from abuse because the provider had systems in place to ensure checks for new staff, such as references and suitability to work with vulnerable adults were carried out. Staff had also received training in protecting vulnerable people from abuse.

The Mencap Society’s vision is, “A world where people with a learning disabilit