Savile Court provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. Savile Court is also a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

At the time of this announced inspection of 22 and 27 November 2017 there were 12 people who used the service. Ten people were living in ‘supported living’ settings and two people received domiciliary care in their own homes. The provider was given up to 48 hours’ notice because it is a small service and we wanted to be certain the registered manager and key staff would be available on the day of our inspection. We also wanted to give them sufficient time to make arrangements with people so that we could visit them in their homes to find out their experience of the service. This service was registered with CQC on 10 June 2011.

At the last inspection of 30 November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

A registered manager was in post. 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. They were supported by a team leader who was in charge of the day to day running of the service.

The service continued to provide a safe service to people. This included systems in place intended to minimise the risks to people, including from abuse, mobility, nutrition and with their medicines. Support workers understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe. They were available when people needed assistance and had been recruited safely.

People and their relatives were complimentary about the care provided and the approach of the registered manager and support workers. People told us that they felt safe and well cared for. Support workers had developed good relationships with people. People were able to express their views and support workers and management listened to what they said and took action to ensure their decisions were acted on. Support workers consistently protected people’s privacy and dignity.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. They were also supported to maintain good health and access healthcare services. Systems were in place to receive, record, store and administer medicines safely. Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

People received care that was personalised and responsive to their needs. People’s care records were detailed and reflected a holistic approach. They consistently demonstrated how people were actively involved in making decisions about their ongoing care and support. This ensured they received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs in accordance with their wishes

People were supported by support workers who were trained and supported to meet their needs. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service listened to people’s experiences, concerns and complaints and took action where needed. People, relatives and staff told us the registered manager was accessible, supportive and had good leadership skills. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. As a result the quality of the service continued to improve.

Savile Court is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people with learning disabilities living in their own apartments. When we inspected on 30 October 2015, there were sixpeople using the service at three of the provider’s housing schemes. This was an announced inspection. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the service is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that someone would be available.

A registered manager was in post. 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 we spoke with including their relatives were complimentary about the care provided. They told us they received safe and effective care by support workers who were attentive and kind.

Systems were in place which safeguarded the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Support workers understood the various types of abuse and knew who to report any concerns to. They understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe and actions were taken when they were concerned about people’s safety.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. These included risk assessments which identified how the risks to people were minimised.

Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

There were sufficient numbers of support workers who had been recruited safely and who had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support to people in the way they preferred. People were treated with kindness by the support workers. We observed support workers respect people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with them in a caring and compassionate manner.

People or their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs.

Where people required assistance with their dietary needs there were systems in place to provide this support safely. Where support workers had identified concerns in people’s wellbeing there were systems in place to contact health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

People received care that was personalised to them and met their needs and wishes. Support workers listened to people and acted on what they said.

There was an open and transparent culture in the service. All the staff we spoke with were passionate about their work and understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service. The manager demonstrated good leadership skills and support workers said they felt valued and supported.

There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to voice their concerns if they were unhappy with the care they received. People’s feedback was valued and acted on. The service had a quality assurance system with identified shortfalls addressed promptly; this helped the service to continually improve.

We spoke with five people who used the service who told us that they were consulted about the care they were provided with and that their needs were met. One person said, “They (care workers) ask me what I need.” Another person said, "I do what I want and they (care workers) check I am alright." Another said, "I am happy here."

People told us that the care workers treated them with kindness and with respect. One person said, “Yes, they (care workers) are kind," Another person said, "I like them (care workers). They are nice to me."

We looked at the care records of four people who used the service and found that they experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. We found that the service worked with other professionals involved in people's care. This meant that people were provided with a consistent service. We found that people were supported to take their medication at the times when they needed it.

We spoke with three care workers and looked at training records which showed that people were supported by care workers who were trained and supported to meet their needs.

We found that the provider had systems in place to assess and monitor the service provided. We found that people's concerns and complaints were acted upon in a timely manner.

We visited three people who used the service in their homes. They told us that they were consulted about the support that they were provided with and the staff listened and acted on what they said. They said that the staff treated them with respect.

People we spoke with told us that they were very happy with the care they received at Savile Court. We were told that staff were “Very lovely” and that “Their manner is very “polite”. One person told us that they had been apprehensive about going to live at Savile Court and to begin with, did not want any help from the staff and would refuse any support offered. However, we were told that staff took time to get to know them and provided choice and encouragement about the support on offer and that now support was “Just right” to meet their individual needs.