About the service:

•Park View is a residential care home. It is based in a residential area within walking distance of the town centre and sea front. The home can accommodate up to four people who have autism. It is registered to provide personal care. At the time of the inspection the service was delivering personal care to three people.

•The people we met had very complex physical and learning disabilities and not all were able to communicate with us verbally. We therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff, relatives and professionals to help form our judgements.

•Two people lived in the main part of the house and one person had self-contained accommodation attached the main house. This person could use the communal parts of the main house when they wished.

•The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Rating at last inspection:

•Good (published 24 October 2016)

Why we inspected:

•This inspection was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating

People’s experience of using this service:

•People who lived at Park View were supported by sufficient staff who were well trained and knew how to support people living with Autism. We observed people’s requests for support being responded to promptly.

•The quality of interaction between staff and people was excellent. The environment was comfortable and safe. There was good communication making it easier for people to understand.

•People were active and took part in hobbies and interests that had been identified individually. There were events and interesting activities each day and one to one support for people who needed this.

•People planned their own meals and staff supported people to shop for the ingredients. Staff cooked people meals from scratch so that people could enjoy good home cooked food.

•People had good access to healthcare and other professionals. People knew how to complain. Incidents and accidents were minimal and if they occurred staff took appropriate actions.

•People and their families were consulted and involved with every aspect of their lives. A relative told us, “I am involved in everything, and I’ve seen the care plan”. People living at Park View had a fulfilling life.

Follow up:

•We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

•For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Park View is in a residential area within walking distance of the town centre and sea front. The ¿home can accommodate up to four people and specialises in providing support to adults who ¿have autism and a learning disability. Three people lived in the main part of the house; one ¿person had self- contained accommodation but did use communal parts of the main house when ¿they wished.¿

This inspection took place on 5 October 2016 and was announced.¿

A registered manager was responsible for 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.¿

We spoke with one person at length and had limited communication with three other people. We ¿also used our observations and discussions with people's relatives and staff to help form our ¿judgements.¿

Staff understood people's needs and provided the care and support they needed. The home was ¿a safe place for people. One person said, “The staff keep me safe.” One relative said, “I think most ¿hazards to [name] have been risk assessed and well thought out.” ¿

People interacted well with staff. Staff knew people and understood their care and support needs. ¿People made choices about their own lives; staff encouraged them to try new things. They were ¿part of their community and were encouraged to be as independent as they could be.¿

Staffing levels were good and people received good support from health and social care ¿professionals.¿

Staff had built close, trusting relationships with people over time. One relative said, “Staff do try to ¿understand [name]. His needs can change and staff do make sure they keep meeting his needs.” ¿

People, and those close to them, were involved in planning and reviewing their care and support. ¿There was a close relationship and good communication with people's relatives. Relatives felt ¿their views were listened to and acted on.¿

Staff were well supported and well trained. Staff spoke highly of the care they were able to ¿provide to people. One staff member said, “I think the care is excellent here. Staff really do care ¿and I think people are happy."¿

There was a management structure in the home, which provided clear lines of responsibility and ¿accountability. All staff worked hard to provide the best level of care possible to people. The aims ¿of the service were well defined and adopted by the staff team.¿

There were effective quality assurance processes in place to monitor care and safety and plan ¿ongoing improvements. There were systems in place to share information and seek people's ¿views about their care and the running of the home.¿

People's rights were protected. The staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of how to support people to make decisions. They knew the procedures to follow where an individual lacked the capacity to consent to their care and treatment.

People’s health care needs had been monitored and appropriately responded to. Information about people’s health needs and contact with health and social care professionals had been recorded.

The home followed appropriate procedures for the safe management and administration of people’s medicines.

We found all areas of the home to be well maintained. The standard of décor and furnishings was good and helped to promote a homely feel.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service people received.

We reviewed this service as part of our routine planned inspection and included following up concerns raised at the last inspection for outcomes 4, 7 and 16. You will find more detail regarding this under the outcomes mentioned.

We spoke to three out of the four people who lived in the home and asked them about their experiences. All three were able to communicate that they liked living at Park View and staff supported them well. We saw people were encouraged to maintain and develop their independence. Staff told us people made their own meals and were supported with the cleaning of their room and clothes.

We read the results from the latest residents and relatives survey. These were carried out yearly and covered both Park View and the adjacent home Cherry Trees. Some of the comments from people who lived in the homes were “would like their room decorated” and “would like more outings to the café”. Some comments from the relatives were “would like more information on changing needs” and “staff are always willing to discuss day to day matters and any queries”.

People who lived in the home who chose to speak with us told us that staff provided the care and support they needed. They said staff were kind to them. We observed how staff interacted with people who lived in the home and all the interactions we saw were kind and respectful. One person we spoke with said that they were happy living at the home, they liked the staff who supported them and chose the things they wished to do. Another person was asked by staff if they wished to speak with us but they declined and this was respected.

Staff ensured people were given the opportunity to make choices. Most people were able to say what they would like and staff respected people’s views. One person helped to prepare the evening meal. They told us that they chose the menus each week; staff helped them to do this every Sunday.

People also organised their own person centred meetings to review their care needs. One person told us they had chosen to have their meeting at the home, had decided who to invite, sent out the invitations and had chosen the things they wished to discuss. Their meeting was to be held in March. Their parents were coming and they looked forward to it.

People who lived in the home could become anxious or display aggressive behaviour. People did not have an up to date behaviour support plan or risk assessments which related to their behaviour. There was no evidence that care plans and risk assessments were completed for people who may require the use of restraint to keep them safe.

People who lived in the home did have the opportunity to express their views on the quality of care and support they received at the regular house meetings, in one to one meetings with staff and at their person centred meetings.