Poplars provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with learning disabilities. 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.

Six people were using the service at the time of the inspection.

At the last inspection of 22 December 2015, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

A registered manager was 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 to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were happy and felt safe living at the service. People received care from staff who understood their responsibilities to identify and report abuse to keep them safe.

Appropriate arrangements remained in place to identify and manage risks to people’s health and well-being.

People received support in a safe manner because of the sufficient numbers of suitably skilled staff deployed. The provider’s recruitment procedures remained safe in recruiting suitable staff.

People had their medicines administered and managed safely by staff assessed as competent to undertake that role. People received support in line with current legislation and best practice guidance. Health and social care professionals continued to be involved in the planning and reviewing of people’s care.

People received care in line with their changing needs. The registered manager monitored incidents and accidents and supported staff to learn from events when things went wrong.

Staff received the support, training and supervision to monitor and develop their practice.

People’s care was delivered in a kind and caring manner. People enjoyed positive caring relationships with staff. Staff asked people’s consent to care and treatment and respected their choices.

People were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Staff understood how people preferred to have care delivered. People received care as planned in line with their preferences and routines.

Staff maintained people’s privacy, dignity and confidentiality. The provider ensured people had information about the services available to them in a format they understood.

People received the support they required to eat and drink. Staff encouraged people to have a healthy and balanced diet. People had access to healthcare services to maintain their health.

Staff supported people to be independent and to develop their daily living skills. People enjoyed taking part in activities of their choosing.

People using the service and their relatives had opportunities to share their views about the quality of care. The provider used their feedback to improve care delivery. People had access to the complaints procedure and knew how to raise a concern if they were unhappy about any aspect of the service.

People and staff commended the registered manager for driving a person centred approach to care delivery. The registered manager showed commitment to delivering high standards of care. Staff were open and honest about the manner in which they delivered care.

Quality assurance systems enabled improvements of people’s care through regular audits and review of care against standards. The registered manager made improvements when needed.

The registered manager worked closely with other agencies to improve

Poplars is a residential home which provides care and accommodation for up to six adults with learning difficulties including autism. The home is a detached house located in Horley. On the day of our inspection six people were living in the home.

People had varied communication needs and abilities. Some people were able to express themselves verbally; others used body language to communicate their needs. Some of the people’s behaviour presented challenges and was responded to with one to one support from staff.

This inspection took place on 16 and 21 December 2015 and was unannounced. the inspection was carried over to a second day as we were unable to complete on the first day as people had their Christmas Party.

The home had 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff had written information about risks to people and how to manage these. We found the registered manager considered additional risks to people in relation to community activities and changes had been reflected in people’s support plans.

Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and were able to evidence to us they knew the procedures to follow should they have any concerns. One staff member said they would report any concerns to the registered manager. They knew of types of abuse and where to find contact numbers for the local safeguarding team if they needed to raise concerns.

Care was provided to people by a sufficient number of staff who were appropriately trained. Staff were seen to support people to keep them safe. People did not have to wait to be assisted.

People who displayed behaviour that challenged others had shown a reduction of incidents since being at the home.

Processes were in place in relation to the correct storage of medicine. All of the medicines were administered and disposed of in a safe way. Staff were trained in the safe administration of medicines and kept relevant records that were accurate.

Where people did not have the capacity to understand or consent to a decision the provider had followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). An appropriate assessment of people’s ability to make decisions for themselves had been completed. Staff were heard to ask people for their permission before they provided care.

Where people’s liberty may be restricted to keep them safe, the provider had followed the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure the person’s rights were protected.

People were provided with homemade, freshly cooked meals each day and facilities were available for staff to make or offer people snacks at any time during the day or night. We were told by the registered manager that people could go out for lunch if they wished.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff took time to speak with the people who they supported. We observed positive interactions and it was evident people enjoyed talking to staff. People were able to see their friends and families as they wanted and there were no restrictions on when people could visit the home.

People were at the heart of the service and took part in a wide range of community activities on a daily basis; for example trips to the shops, and attending college. The choice of activities was specific and innovative to each person and had been identified through the assessment process and the regular house meetings held.

People had an individual support plan detailing the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided. We read in the support plans that staff ensured people had access to healthcare professionals when they needed. For example, the doctor, learning disablement team or

Some of the people in the home had complex needs which meant that they were not able to tell us their experiences of using the service; we therefore used our observations and spoke with people's relatives to help inform some of our judgements. We found that the home had a relaxed and calm atmosphere and saw staff supporting people in a kind and sensitive way. We noted that staff promoted people's individual independence. For example, we saw that one person was going to work, with the support from staff.

People we spoke with told us they were happy living at Poplars. People and their relatives told us there was plenty to do both inside and outside of the home. We saw that people who used the service were encouraged to help with the day to day running of the home and were involved in tasks such as making tea for everyone.

We arranged to speak with some relatives over the telephone. They told us they were happy with the care provided. Comments included "Very happy with the care they provide", "If something is wrong with my relative then the staff always help as they care" and "I would give the home 9 out of 10".

Staff we spoke with told us they felt "Supported" by the manager and received good training opportunities.

The service had a robust complaints process and this had been provided to people in a format they could understand. People we spoke with and their relatives told us that they felt happy to speak with the manager or staff about any concerns they had.

At the time of our visit there were five people living at Poplars. Some of the people who used the service had complex learning disabilities therefore they were not all able to respond to our questions independently. We spoke with two people who were supported by members of staff during our discussions. One person told us that they chose the activities they wanted to do every day and that they were happy living at the home. We observed staff interacting with people who used the service in a kind and respectful manner, calling people by their first names and promoting their independence. Records showed that people’s diversity, values and human rights were respected. Relatives of people who used the service told us that they were involved in decisions regarding their relative's care, and were very happy with the care and support provided at Poplars. Comments included, “My opinion of the service at Poplars is a very positive one” and, “I am satisfied that the home’s has an approach to care which is both supportive and encouraging.”