About the service:

Rosslyn is a care home situated in the seaside town of Skegness, Lincolnshire. The home can accommodate up to 10 people who experience learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder. The accommodation is made up of two adjoining houses with each house being able to accommodate five people. On the day of the inspection 10 people were living in the home.

Rosslyn worked within the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensured that people could live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence.

People’s experience of using this service:

• Tailoring care and support to meet individual needs was at the heart of the service. Staff were flexible and creative in the way they supported people to overcome issues that may otherwise restrict their individual lifestyles.

• People were happy and comfortable living at Rosslyn. They were treated with care and thoughtfulness by staff who understood their needs, wishes and preferences in detail.

• People’s privacy and dignity was respected and they were supported to make their own decisions and choices wherever they were able to do so.

• Staff understood how to keep people safe whilst enabling them to develop their independence and achieve their life goals.

• People enjoyed a varied and active social life and were encouraged to follow their chosen interests.

• There was an open and inclusive culture within the home. People expressed their views and ideas and were fully involved in planning and reviewing their own care.

• Staff were well trained and supported to meet people’s individual needs.

• Systems for monitoring and improving quality and safety were maintained.

Rating at last inspection:

Rosslyn was last inspected on 13 July 2016 (report published 6 September 2016) and was rated as good overall with an outstanding rating for the responsive section of the report.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support a rating of good overall with an outstanding rating for the responsive section of the report. More information can be found in the 'Detailed Findings' below.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about Rosslyn until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

We inspected Rosslyn on 13 July 2016. The inspection was unannounced.

Rosslyn is a care home situated in Skegness, a seaside town in Lincolnshire. The home can accommodate up to 10 people who experience needs related to learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorders. The intended focus of the service is to enable people to live as independently as possible.

There was an established registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 refer to the registered manager and the registered provider as “the manager” and “the provider” throughout the report.

People’s rights were respected and they were supported to make decisions and choices for themselves wherever possible. Staff understood how to support people to make decisions and choices in line with legal guidance. CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves. At the time of the inspection one person was subject to a DoLS authorisation and we saw that the conditions of the authorisation were being met.

People were empowered to maximse the control they had over their daily lives. They were fully involved in planning the support they wanted and needed to receive. They were enabled to live a full and active lifestyle which matched their preferences and wishes. This included supporting them to effectively manage any anxiety or distress they may experience.

The manager and staff had a detailed knowledge and understanding of each person’s needs and preferences and promoted a culture of equality, respect and dignity within the home. People were treated in a caring and kind manner. The manager and staff used creative and individualised approaches to support people to manage their emotional needs and develop a positive self-image and self-confidence.

People were supported to stay safe whilst maintaining their independence. They were fully involved in planning to reduce any identified risk and they were supported to understand why they were at risk in certain situations. Staff were knowledgeable about what constituted a risk for people and where they may be vulnerable to abusive situations occurring. They also knew how to report and manage situations of this kind.

Staff were provided with regular training and support which enabled them to carry out their roles in a knowledgeable and confident manner. They were subject to robust employment checks before they took up their post to ensure they were suitable to work with the people living in the home. The manager made sure there were enough staff available to meet people’s support needs.

The manager promoted an inclusive approach to the running of the home. They encouraged people who lived there, their relatives and staff to express their views and opinions and took action to address any issues that were highlighted. The manager and the provider carried out regular checks to ensure that people received a consistent and good quality service.

Rosslyn provides care and support for up to ten people with a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorders. Nine people were living there at the time of our visit, although only five were actually present during the inspection with others being out at further education college placements.

We spoke with three people and we observed the care and support people received from staff. Staff interacted with people appropriately, showing respect and patience. Staff respected peoples' dignity. One person showed us around their house with support from staff. One person said, "It's not too bad living here, you know." When asked if they were happy living at the home, another person smiled and replied, "Yes."

We saw that people's support plans and risk assessments reflected their needs and were up to date. Staff that we spoke with were aware of the contents of the support plans, which enabled them to deliver appropriate and safe care. The provider had a range of quality monitoring systems in place to ensure that care was being delivered appropriately by staff in line with individual care plans, and that people were satisfied with the service they received.

The accommodation was adapted to meet the needs of the people living there and was appropriately maintained. The home was warm, clean and was personalised to the people who lived there. The provider had systems in place that ensured the safe receipt, storage, administration and recording of medicines.

When we visited, ‘Rosslyn’ had changed its registration. It had reduced the number of people it accommodated from nine to five and cared for people over the age of eighteen.

On the day we visited four people were living in the home. We were able to speak with all of them as well as the manager and a member of staff, although one person did not want to speak with us for very long.

People liked living in the home and told us they were treated with dignity and respect. On person told us, “I get called by the name I like.” Another told us, “Staff always knock my door.” They were supported to be as independent as possible.

People said they felt safe and staff were kind and knew what they were doing. They said they could see a doctor, dentist or other health professional if they needed to and staff would support them if necessary.

People felt staff were competent. One person told us, “They know how to look after me.”

People also said they knew what to do if they wanted to complain about anything and felt sure something would be done about it.