We undertook an announced inspection on 16 and 17 February 2017. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a supported living service to people in their homes. We needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office.

This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ accommodation, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate agreements; this inspection looked at their personal care and support arrangements.

Sanctuary Supported Living (Hazel Court) provides support for adults with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting five people with personal care and support.

There was a registered manager for this service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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 we spoke with said they had support from regular staff who helped them feel safe. Staff we spoke with recognised the different types of abuse. There were systems in place to guide staff in reporting any concerns. Staff were knowledgeable about how to manage people’s individual risks, and were able to respond to peoples’ needs. People were supported with their medicines in a way that encouraged their independence as much as possible. Staff were trained and had their competency checked by the management team. They knew about the risks associated with medicines.

Staff had up to date knowledge and training to support people. Staff always ensured people gave their consent to the support they received. The management team regularly reviewed how people were supported to make decisions. People explained they were supported to make their own decisions and be as independent as they could. They told us they were supported with meal planning and cooking. Staff told us they encouraged people to follow a healthy diet. People and their relatives told us staff would access health professionals as soon as they were needed.

People and their relatives said staff and management team were caring and kind. They said people were treated with dignity and respect, and encouraged to be as independent as possible. People said they were involved in making choices about what they were supported with and staff knew their preferences. Relatives told us they were involved as part of the team to support their family member. Staff were adaptable to changes in peoples’ needs and communicated changes to the rest of the team effectively.

People and their relatives knew how to raise complaints and the management team had arrangements in place to ensure people were listened to and appropriate action taken. Staff were involved in regular meetings to share their views and concerns about the quality of the service. People and staff said the management team were accessible and supportive to them.

The management team monitored the quality of the service in an inclusive way. They ensured there was a culture of openness with people living at the scheme and staff. The management team had systems in place to identify improvements and were taking appropriate steps to ensure these were made. The management team worked with other agencies to ensure holistic support was provided for people living at the scheme.