The inspection took place on 26 July 2016 and was announced.

Orchard Lodge is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to six people who have a learning disability.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way. This is usually to protect them. The management and staff understood their responsibility and made appropriate referrals for assessment. Five people living at the service had their freedom lawfully restricted under a DoLS authorisation.

People felt safe and were cared for by kind, caring and compassionate staff. People were kept safe because staff undertook appropriate risk assessments for all aspects of their care inside and outside of the service. Care plans were developed to support people’s individual needs. Staff knew what action to take and who to report to if they were concerned about the safety and welfare of the people in their care. People received their prescribed medicine safely from staff that were competent to do so. The registered provider ensured that there were always sufficient numbers of staff on duty to keep people safe.

People were given a nutritious and balanced diet and hot and cold drinks and snacks were available between meals. People had their healthcare needs identified and were able to access healthcare professionals such as their GP. Staff knew how to access specialist professional help when needed.

People were at the centre of service and staff acknowledged them as unique individuals. Relatives told us that staff were kind and caring and we saw examples of good care practice. People were always treated with dignity and respect. People were cared for by staff that were supported to undertake training to improve their knowledge and skills to perform their roles and responsibilities.

People lived busy and active lives and were encouraged to take part in hobbies and interests of their choice. Some people were supported in education, sporting activities and all enjoyed being part of a strong social network. Relatives commented that their loved ones were well looked after and their wellbeing had improved since moving into the service.

People were supported to make decisions about their care and treatment and maintain their independence. People had access to information about how to make a complaint.

The registered provider had robust systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and make improvements. Staff had access to professional development, supervision and feedback on their performance. People, their relatives and staff found the registered manager approachable.

This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 23 April 2015.

Orchard Lodge provides accommodation for up to six people who have a learning disability and who need personal care. There were five people living in the service at the time of our inspection.

There was 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 Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a registered person applies the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way. This is usually to protect themselves. We found that the registered persons had taken the necessary steps to protect the legal rights of those people living in the service who were being deprived of their liberty. However, the registered persons had not always ensured that people living in the service had been supported to give their consent to all of the care they received. This had reduced the registered persons’ ability to fully protect people’s rights when decisions were made on their behalf.

Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns so that people were kept safe from harm. People were helped to avoid having accidents and their medicines were safely managed. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed.

Staff had received the training and guidance they needed to assist people in the right way including helping them to eat and drink enough. People had received all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, respected confidential information and promoted people’s dignity.

Although key documents did not present information about care in a user-friendly way people had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive. People had been supported to express their individuality and diversity. Staff had offered people the opportunity to pursue their interests and hobbies. There was a system for resolving complaints.

People had been consulted about the development of the service and quality checks had been completed. The service was run in an open and inclusive way and people had benefited from staff being involved in good practice initiatives.