The inspection took place on 16 May 2018 and was unannounced. At the last inspection we rated the college overall as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found that the effective section required some improvements.

Portland College is an Independent Specialist College of further education. The College provides educational opportunities for learners and a range of independent living activities complimented by residential placements for people with a disabilty in transition or who may require respite or short stay.

Portland College has 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.

We have made a recommendation in relation to the capacity assessments being completed and how they link into individuals care plans. 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. Staff ensured they obtained consent before providing care.

The environment did not always meet people’s needs to provide them with the facilities to support independence or personal choice. People enjoyed the meals, however wanted to be involved in developing the menus to provide healthier options. We saw this was planned to take place. Some areas of the care provided was not always communicated to ensure people received effective care.

People’s care was delivered by staff who had established positive relationships with people. The care was respectful and ensured people’s dignity was considered at all times. When required health care professionals had been consulted about ongoing or emerging health needs.

The college worked with a range of partners and encouraged people to be part of the service development and improvements. People could access a range of activities and develop their interest in different hobbies or consider aspects of training to support a career.

People were cared for by staff who understood how to keep them safe from harm. Any risks had been assessed and measures put in place to reduce the risk and guidance provided by health care professionals. There was sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and these were reflected of different settings and needs. Medicine was managed safety. When incidents had occurred lessons had been learnt and changes made. The college ensured that people were protected from the risk of infection and the required checks were in place.

Care plans were comprehensive and detailed all aspects of people’s lives. This included their preferences, any equality requirements or accessible needs in relation to communication and information.

The registered manager and provider worked to the required regulations. We saw the rating was displayed at the college and on the website. Notifications had been sent to us to recognise when incidents had occurred, so that we could reflect on any actions taken. Complaints had been responded to in line with the policy and provided the complainant with an apology and outcome.

The inspection took place on 15, 16 and 17 June 2016 and was unannounced.

Portland College is registered to provide accommodation for people who require nursing or personal care and/or treatment of disease, disorder and injury. The registered provider must only accommodate a maximum of 135 people at Portland College.

The service specialises in providing care and support for people with disabilities within a specialist college delivered on one site but within two different accommodations. Both accommodations are for people in a residential setting but the second, 'Portland Freedom', is for people who are more independent living in flats. At the time of the inspection there were 65 people using the service in both settings.

On the day of our inspection there were two registered managers in place. A head of care registered manager for the services registration of treatment of disease, disorder or injury and a nurse registered manager for the services registration of accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care. 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 told us that they felt safe. The risk of harm for people was reduced because staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. Staff were confident that the registered managers would deal with any concerns that they reported.

Staffing levels were adequate to meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited through safe recruitment practices. Medicines were safely administered and stored.

Staff received an induction, training and supervision and felt supported by the management team. People received sufficient to eat and drink. People had access to internal and external healthcare services.

Staff were trained in the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and could describe how people were supported to make decisions.

Staff were very caring and people felt listened to. Staff were aware of people's support needs and their personal preferences. People and/or their relatives were involved in the development and review of their care plans. People were encouraged to be independent and staff respected people’s privacy and dignity.

Daily records were up to date and gave a good overview of what had occurred for that person People had the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities inside and outside the service. Complaints were dealt with in a timely manner.

The registered managers were supportive, approachable and listened to people, relatives and staff. People and their relatives were involved or had opportunities to be involved in the development of the service. There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

We found that learners were encouraged to express their preferences and were involved in planning the support they needed. Risks were assessed and relevant staff had information about how to reduce risks to learners and meet their support needs safely. We observed the individual support that learners received and this was done discreetly to enable learners to be as independent as possible.

One learner told us, "It all runs smoothly and I get the help I need. I like to be independent here and they respect that, but I know I'm safe too."

We saw there were appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines and care was taken to ensure only competent staff handled and administered medicines. This meant learners were protected against the risks associated with medicines

We found there was an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service. One learner told us, “I give them 10 out of 10 for everything, it's excellent here.” Another learner told us about student committees. They said they could always tell someone if they were not satisfied with anything. We found the provider took account of complaints and comments to improve the service. Comments from staff included, "It's wonderful to work at the college. It is such a well organised service." and "We strive to provide a high standard in all areas."

We gathered information about the care provided at Portland College, but not the teaching, which is regulated by Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education). Although there is a condition that nursing is not provided as part of the service, we found that nurses are employed on five days each week. The provider is currently making an application to include this in the registration. Once this is agreed we will regulate the nursing service. We have referred to people who attended the college as learners throughout this report.

There were 61 learners living on the college campus when we visited. We spoke with seven learners in detail during our visit and they said they were fully involved and made their own decisions. One learner said, "I visited here from school and it was always my plan to come here." Learners told us they were involved in planning their care. Some learners took part in forums to improve the choice of food and other aspects of the care provided.

The learners we spoke with told us they received support with things they could not manage themselves. For some this was support with personal care and mobility and for others it was only supervision at certain times to reduce risks. The learners told us that the staff followed their individual care plan and one said, "They only do what I want them to." We found the staff were aware of learners' needs and received appropriate training.

The quality of service was monitored by the college directors.