This unannounced inspection took place on 3 October 2016. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector. We last inspected the service in February 2014 when no breaches of legal requirements were identified.

Sefton New Directions Limited - Poplars Resource Centre is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to nine people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. The people who used the service can have both physical and psychological support and care needs. The home comprises a main building and a bungalow next door. At the time of the inspection four people were staying in the home for short term breaks.

The service had a registered manager 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.

Staff were appropriately trained and skilled and provided care in a safe and well maintained environment. Staff fully understood their roles and responsibilities.

The staff were up to date in various training sessions including training on safeguarding and the Mental Capacity Act to make sure that the care and support provided was safe and effective to meet their needs.

The provider had safe recruitment procedures. They employed skilled staff and took steps to make sure that staff were suitable to provide care and support that met the needs of people who used Poplars Resource Centre.

Staffing levels are determined by people’s individual needs. The provider offered choices for when someone wanted to stay and often people requested dates when their friends were staying. They planned when they needed to bring more staff into the service, especially when they had planned group activities and trips out.

Staff working in the service understood the needs of the people coming to stay and we saw that care and support was provided with respect and kindness. People who used the service told us they were all very happy with the service and their care.

Staff were aware of nutritional needs and made sure they supported people to have choices in offering a good variety of food and drink during each person’s stay

throughout our inspection we saw examples of good communication and involving people who were enjoying their break at the service. People told us they felt included and consulted in the planning of their support and were treated with respect. People told us they received the care and support they requested and needed.

Everyone we spoke with said they felt comfortable to raise any concerns with staff; nobody had any concerns or complaints about the service.

The provider had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care consistently. The service encouraged feedback from people who use the service and their families, which they used to make improvements to the respite service.

On the day of our inspection three people were staying at the home. Two people were attending day time activities. One person was in the home but could not tell us about their experiences of using it or comment about the care and support they received, due to a variety of complex needs.

We looked at comments made by relatives who said, “The service allows me to leave (Name) and relax knowing they’re in safe hands. That’s priceless”, “I don’t know how I would cope without the Poplars”, “They’re always well cared for when they stay”, “(name) enjoys all the activities; there’s a good variety.”

We spoke with the acting manager for the day and support staff on duty at the time of our visit. We observed some interaction between support staff and one person receiving a service to be positive, with staff being supportive, sensitive and encouraging in a non-patronising manner.

We looked at the care records and found they contained all of the relevant documents to support a person safely. We found they showed people’s likes and dislikes and daily routines.

We looked at the complaints policy for the home. We saw evidence any complaints had been dealt with in accordance with the procedure.

We spent time with three of the people who were being accommodated in the home. One person told us they had been attending the Poplars for short stays on a number of occasions. They said that initially they were very nervous about staying but staff had spent time to reassure them. They said, ‘’Staff are good and they helped me settle.’’ They also said that they feel uneasy mixing with other people at the home but staff had ensured they had separate accommodation. This shows that the home were keen to promote peoples privacy.

Another person said, ‘’Staff take me out. I’ve been to the cinema this week and it was really good.’’ We saw that the person was relaxed and talked freely to staff. Another person said they felt ‘at home’ at the Poplars: ‘’I like the staff and the food is good. Staff help me with my walking and help me when we go out.’’

People told us that staff supported them well. We saw there was good communication when staff carried out care. One person commented, ‘’I like the Poplars. It makes me happy when I stay. I like playing darts and going out.’’

We spoke with one person who told us about their mobility needs. They said staff helped them and always made sure they were supported appropriately.

People were relaxed and interacted freely. We saw that they were approached positively and given appropriate levels of contact by staff.

We looked at comments made by relatives who said staff worked well with them and reported any changes in their care. They comments recorded that the standard of care was consistent and people were supported well. One commented, ‘’We have no complaints and always look forward to coming to the Poplars. We are well satisfied with the care.’’ Other comments were:

‘’very happy with the care’’

‘’We are very happy with the services and the staff.’’

This showed the home was responsive to people's care needs.

People we spoke with felt safe in the home. They felt confident any concerns would be listened to and addressed.