45 Park Road is a care home that provides support for up to eight people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder and who have a sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection there were seven people living in the home. At the last inspection, in September 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

People continued to receive safe care. Staff were appropriately recruited and there were enough staff to provide care and support to people to meet their needs. People were consistently protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely.

The care that people received continued to be effective. Staff had access to the support, supervision and training that they required to work effectively in their roles. People were supported to maintain good health and nutrition.

People developed positive relationships with the staff who were caring and treated them with respect, kindness and dignity.

People had plans of care in place that were focused on them as individuals. This allowed staff to provide consistent support in line with people’s personal preferences. People and their relatives felt they could raise a concern and the provider had implemented effective systems to manage any complaints that they may receive.

The service had a positive ethos and an open culture. The registered manager was a visible role model in the home. People, their relatives and staff told us that they felt confident that they could approach the manager and that they would listen. There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor and review the quality of the service that was provided.

As part of the inspection we observed people living at the home, spoke with a care worker and the registered manager. We also spoke with people who used the service about their experiences of living at the home.

We looked at numerous records including people’s care records, staff records, medication records and records in relation to the management of the service.

Our observations showed that people were comfortable, well kempt and were being cared for in a pleasant environment. People’s bedrooms had been decorated according to their personal tastes. The provider may find it useful to note that a few areas of the home were starting to look dated, a bathroom was in need of some minor maintenance and part of the garden area was overgrown.

We found that people’s independence and community involvement had been promoted by the service and we saw that staff treated people with dignity and respect and had a good understanding of their needs. Staff we spoke with were positive about their roles and demonstrated a good rapport with people using the service.

People who used the service were positive about the care and support they received.

We looked at the records of four people who used the service and found care had been planned and delivered appropriately with regard to people’s health, safety and welfare.

There were appropriate arrangements in place for the obtaining and administration of medication.

Staff had been appropriately screened to ensure they were appropriate to work with vulnerable people and had received a thorough induction.

There was an appropriate complaints handling process in place and arrangements were in place to support people with making a complaint.

As part of our inspection of this service we spoke with four out of the eight people using the service. We also spoke with four members of staff working at the service, the relative of one person using the service, and the friend of someone living at the home.

The people using the service told us they were happy living there. One person told us, "I am happy living here. I like the staff. They are nice people. I went to the football last week." We observed that people had the choice of what activities to undertake and saw that they had the freedom to choose what to eat and where to go. One person using the service commented that, "I have no worries living here. I'm happy here."

The staff working at the service described a very open style of management and felt that they were adequately trained and developed in their roles. One staff member told us, "I love the home. I like working for the manager and I love the residents. It's my day off today and I'm here so what does that tell you." All of the staff we spoke to were positive about working at the home and they all said they understood the needs of the people they were caring for. Another staff member who had worked at the home for nine years said, "I love it. That's why I'm still here."

We spoke to the friend of someone who had been using the service since it had opened. They were complimentary about the care being provided and told us, "I've found the staff very, very good. They are very loving and very kind."

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection that took place on 17 and 18 September 2015. The first day of the inspection was unannounced.

45 Park Road is a care home registered to accommodate up to eight people who are aged over 18 and who have learning disabilities or Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The home had eight single bedrooms on three floors, with a stair lift, a lounge and dining room, bathroom, and kitchen. The service had a large garden. At the time of the inspection eight people were living at the service.

The service 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.’

The feedback from relatives we spoke with was that they felt people were cared for very well.

People received care and support that was centred on their individual needs. Their care plans included information about how they wanted to be supported and how to develop and maintain their independence.

Staff knew how to identify and report abuse and the provider had a system in place to protect people from the risk of harm.

Staff were supported through training and supervision to be able to meet the needs of the people they were supporting.

People were involved in decisions about their care and support and care plans included assessments of risks associated with this. Support was offered according to people’s likes, dislikes and preferences. Staff knew people well and understood their care needs. Staff treated people with dignity and respect.

People were supported to take their medicines by staff who had received training in medicines management.

People were supported to take part in a wide range of activities to maintain their independence.

Staff and relatives told us they were happy to raise any concerns with the manager and felt confident they would be listened to.