We carried out this inspection on 7 September 2016. We told the provider we were coming 48 hours before the visit so they could arrange for people and staff to be available to talk with us about the service.

Richmond Supported Living is a service which provides personal care support to people with learning disabilities or physical disabilities in their own homes. There are eight flats and at the time of our visit, six people lived at the service. Support staff are based on site 24 hours a day.

The service 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. A registered manager was in place and had been since October 2014 when the service opened. We have referred to them as the manager in this report.

People told us they felt safe using the service because support workers were skilled and knowledgeable, and knew how to care for them well. Support workers had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and who to contact if safeguarding concerns were raised.

Checks were carried out prior to support workers starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. Support workers received an induction to the organisation, and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care support.

People who required support had enough to eat and drink during the day and were assisted to manage their health needs. Support workers referred people to other professionals if they had any concerns.

People had consistent support worker teams who they were familiar with and who provided support as outlined in their care plans. There were enough staff to care for people they supported and bank staff were used when required.

People told us support workers were kind and caring and had the right skills and experience to provide the care they required. People were supported with dignity and respect. Support workers encouraged people to be independent and the focus of the service was to develop people’s skills and confidence further.

Care plans contained relevant information for support workers to help them provide personalised care including processes to minimise risks to people’s safety. People received their medicines when required from staff trained to administer them.

People knew how to complain and had opportunities to share their views and opinions about the service they received. This was through regular review ‘team’ meeting and also surveys.

Support workers were confident they could raise any concerns or issues with the manager knowing they would be listened to and acted on. People and staff told us the management team were effective and approachable.

The management team gave support workers formal opportunities to discuss any issues or raise concerns with them. There were some processes to monitor the quality of the service provided. These checks and audits ensured support workers worked in line with policies and procedures.