Northcroft is a care home which provides accommodation for up to eight people with a learning disability who require personal care. At the time of the inspection seven people were using the service.

There was a registered manager at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

We inspected Northcroft on 9 and 10 January 2017. The inspection was unannounced. The service was last inspected in January 2014 when it was found to be meeting the requirements of the regulations.

People told us they felt safe at the service and with the staff who supported them. For example, we were told: “I am safe here,” and a relative told us: “Northcroft has provided (my relative) with a secure, kind and well managed environment, within which they has become calmer and more balanced emotionally and has developed social skills.”

People told us they received their medicines on time. Medicines administration records were kept appropriately and medicines were stored and managed to a good standard.

Staff had been suitably trained to recognise potential signs of abuse. Staff told us they would be confident to report concerns to management, and thought management would deal with any issues appropriately. We were told by a relative “I can’t fault them (the staff).” A member of staff said “I have not seen anything concerning,” and if they did, thought management would take any concerns seriously and ensure they were fully investigated.

Staff training was delivered to a good standard, and staff received updates about important skills such as moving and handling at regular intervals. An external professional told us “ The staff are very knowledgeable about the individuals they support and seem to be well trained in the areas of the support they are providing.”

Recruitment processes were satisfactory as pre-employment checks had been completed to help ensure people’s safety. This included written references and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, which checked if a person was suitable to work with vulnerable adults.

People had access to medical professionals such as a general practitioner, dentist, chiropodist and an optician. People said they received enough support from these professionals. External professionals were very positive about the care given. Comments included “The care is definitely client centred….they (the staff) are proactive about finding a solution to benefit their resident and more than happy to learn new skills. Staff treat people with respect and value their opinions.”

There were enough staff on duty and people said they received timely support from staff when it was needed. A relative told us “There is a high ratio of staff.” We observed any requests for assistance being responded to quickly, and staff always being attentive to people’s needs.

Care was provided appropriately and staff were viewed by people and their relatives as caring. We were told “I love living here,” and were told staff were “lovely.” Two relatives separately told us “I can’t fault them (the staff),” and another added that their relative was “Lucky to be here (at Northcroft).”

People had the opportunity to participate in a wide choice of activities. People were busily involved in a range of activities on the day we visited; andwere able to attend several different centres locally, which offered up a wealth of things to do. They also have the opportunity to go on an annual holiday if they want to.

Care files contained information such as a care plan and these were regularly reviewed. The service had appropriate systems in place to assess people’s capacity in line with legislation and guidance, for example using the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

People were happy with their meals. Everyone said the

We spoke to three people living at Northcroft who all complimented the service provided in their home. One person said "they help me when I ask them for things."

We saw staff interacting with people at the home in a friendly manner, and we saw people asking them for help with fine manipulative tasks they struggled with. The staff helped each time when asked in a supportive manner.

The atmosphere in the home was cheerful during our visit and people left the home with staff to go to karate and pick up new prescription spectacles they had requested to have made.

We looked at the environment and saw that it was clean, warm and homely. There were pictures of the people on the walls and displays of artworks and pottery made by them.

We saw three care plans and saw that they were comprehensive in describing the needs of the individual and their diagnoses. The care plans contained charts to assist staff in spotting behaviour triggers and the best way to help the person calm down.

There were relevant risk assessments in place which had been reviewed recently and changed according to the needs on the individual they reflected.

We saw that the people living at Northcroft were supported appropriately and systems were in place to ensure that the care they received met their needs and wishes.

There were eight people living at Northcroft at the time of our inspection. We spoke with three people in total to get their views, one in person and two people over the telephone.

Everyone we spoke to told us they liked where they lived. One person told us "I'm happy to live here. I like doing jobs instead of sitting down". We observed care being provided that reflected people's needs and assessed risks as outlined in their care files.

We observed staff offering choices to people about their daily routines. One person told us "I decide for myself and talk to staff about what I want to do". On the day we visited seven people accessed activities in the community.

Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures, types of abuse and behaviour management techniques for each person. Everyone we spoke to told us they felt safe and able to talk to staff, "sometimes I get upset. If I have complaints I talk to (key worker)".

We observed staff gave time to people, worked with them around their goals and were knowledgeable about people's behaviours and needs. One person told us "staff are very good with us".

People who used the service and family carers were not asked for their views about the service in a formal, consistent way. Quality monitoring procedures were in place in an informal way, for example, staff asked for people's views in residents' meetings and acted upon these. Incidents and complaints were recorded and learning took place from these.