This unannounced inspection took place on the 12 and 13 September 2016. The home was last inspected in December 2013 and was found to be complaint with the regulations in place at that time.

The home is a bungalow accommodating five adults who have learning and physical disabilities. There is a registered manager at the home. 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.

Due to people’s communication difficulties we were not able to receive verbal feedback from people, however our observations showed us that people were being well cared for at Old Barn Close.

Staff knew people well, they were aware of their likes and dislikes and what needs they required support with. People were kept safe because staff knew how to report concerns both to their provider and to the local authority.

Sufficient staffing was in place during the inspection. We had concerns about the lack of staffing for a couple of hours on Monday morning. This is when two staff take one person to do the food shopping. This leaves one staff with four people in the home. Since the inspection we have been informed extra staff are being provided in the home during this time to ensure people’s safety and well-being.

The home appeared clean and tidy, and staff understood their role in the prevention of the spread of infection.

Medicines were stored and administered safely to people. The competency of staff was assessed by the registered manager to ensure safe practice.

Staff recruitment was carried out safely; this was to prevent unsuitable people from working with the people at Old Barn Close.

Staff were well supported by the management of the home. Supervision and appraisals took place regularly. Staff reported the registered manager was approachable and managed the home well. They felt their personal development was encouraged through constructive feedback from the registered manager.

Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and how the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) protected people who may need restrictions in place to ensure their safety and well-being. Where restrictions were in place these had been authorised by the local authority.

People’s health needs were assessed and where specialist treatment or advice was needed, this was sought. Staff were observed to carry out any specialist advice given, to ensure people remained safe and well.

Staff appeared caring and genuinely interested in the people they were caring for. There was a clear rapport between people and staff. Staff knew the people well and managed to evoke positive and meaningful responses from them. Staff knew the importance of encouraging people to remain independent and how to support them to do so.

Care plans and risk assessments were up to date and reflected people’s needs. Relatives told us they were kept informed by the staff and management in the home, of any changes in people’s care needs. They were appreciative of the quality of care given to people in the home.

People enjoyed a range of activities outside and inside the home. Consideration was given to their needs and activities were selected that were appropriate to the person. Some activities included shopping, farm visits, visiting the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) centre, aromatherapy, cooking and pet therapy.

The registered manager of the home was held in high regard by the friend, families and staff in the home. Although staff told us they were supported well by the registered manager, it was evident through talking to the staff; they were equally as supportive of the registered manager. The staff team and the registered manager had a clear vision and aim for the service, of

We spoke with a relative of a person using the service. The person summarised their view of the service by saying; "The staff just couldn't do any better.” This person told us that their relative received very good standard of care and was doing well at Old Barn Close, this person went on to tell us that their relative participated in activities in the community and received a lot of individual time and attention from staff.

We saw the relationship and interactions between staff and people who use the service were positive and respectful. We spoke with two care staff who told us that they supported people to be as independent as possible and supported them to work towards and achieve personal leisure activities or social goals. We looked at two care files that demonstrated the personalised approach in place to support the staff’s comments. We observed that the manager operated a model of good practice by offering staff regular supervision and access to a framework of training and support that enabled them to provide a high quality of care.

We observed staff treating people with respect and were able to see that there was a good relationship between staff and people who use the service. We observed staff assessing people’s needs and ensuring that care was provided in line with individual care plans. We were able to see that people were comfortable and that there was adequate numbers of staff available to provide the individualised support needed.

We spoke with a relative of a person using the service. The person summarised their view of the service by saying “They just couldn’t do better”. Their relative had transferred there from another home and was said to have ”…taken to the home instantly”. They were receiving very good care and were doing very well at Old Barn Close. They participated in a lot of activities in the community and received a lot of time and attention from staff. The same was true for the other people there too. The relative told us that even during a period of staff shortages over the past year or so the quality of care had never declined. The person said the staff were to be commended for the excellent work they did.