What life is like for people using this service:

People using this service consistently experienced outstanding caring from a well led service. People consistently told us how they were treated with exceptional kindness, compassion and respect. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback on how staff were supportive and went the extra mile to get care just right for people. A person told us, “I want to praise the staff. They have done wonderfully hard work looking after us.”

People and relatives told us they felt very fortunate to have found a service that specialised in supporting people living with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). A relative told us, “They fully understand [person’s] behaviour and allow them as much time as they need. It’s the best care they’ve ever had. It’s just so wonderful and lovely. I would rate it outstanding.” A person told us, “One of the best things is living with [other] people who have PWS.”

People were truly placed at the centre of the service and were involved in decisions about their care to an extent that they achieved outstanding and transformative outcomes in their lives.

Raising people's confidence, self-esteem and self-belief was at the heart of the service’s culture and values. It is embedded in everything that the service and its staff do. As a result people achieved outstanding outcomes that exceeded anything they had thought possible. A relative told us, “[Person] was merely existing before they came here, now they have their life back.” A staff member told us, “We are driven by our belief that there can be a future for people living with PWS.”

People were respected, listened to and influential. They were involved in recruiting staff. A person had become a spokes person for the wider community of people living with PWS.

People received exceptionally personalised care and support specific to their needs and preferences. The training staff received was structured around people's individual needs. Each person was respected as an individual, with their own social and cultural diversity, values and beliefs. People had their human rights upheld.

The service continued to have a good track record and had become an exemplar service for people living with PWS. The service was highly in demand and a place where people wanted to work. The service remained at the heart of the local community with strong community links. It was affiliated to a number of regional, national and international organisations specialising in research and support for people living with PWS.

Staff were highly motivated by what people had achieved with their support and this drove them to support people to continually expand their horizons. A staff member said, “Staff at all levels have been amazing, they have tremendous knowledge about the people.” There were high levels of satisfaction across all staff.

There was a particularly strong emphasis on continuous improvement and supporting people to overcome the many challenges of living with PWS.

More information can be found in the detailed findings below

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 12 July 2016)

About the service: Redbank House is a residential care home that provides personal care and support to up to eight people living with a learning disability. At the time of the inspection eight people were using the service.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

We inspected the service on 8 June 2016. The inspection was unannounced. Redbank House is registered to accommodate seven younger adults with a learning disability. On the day of our inspection seven people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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 by staff who knew how to recognise abuse and how to respond to concerns. Risks in relation to people’s daily life were assessed and planned for to protect them from harm.

People were supported by enough staff to ensure they received care and support when they needed it. People received their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported to make decisions, however the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was not being applied appropriately in the service. People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide safe and appropriate care and support. People were supported with their nutrition and hydration.

People lived in a service where staff listened to them and cared about the people they were supporting. People’s rights to be treated with respect and to have privacy were recognised and acted on.

People were supported to be involved in the planning of their care and to enjoy a social life. People knew how to raise concerns and when concerns were raised they were responded to and acted on.

People were involved in giving their views on how the service was run and there were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.