About the service: Silversprings provides accommodation and care for up to nine people with a learning disability and/or autism within a large detached property. At the time of our inspection there were nine people using the service.

The provider and staff were working 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:

¿ People’s relatives felt their family members were safe and well cared for. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the risks people faced in their day to day lives and the ways they could support them to minimise those risks.

¿ People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff.

¿ People’s medicines were managed safely. The processes in place ensured that the administration and handling of medicines was suitable for the people who used the service.

¿ Effective infection control measures were in place to protect people.

¿ People were supported by staff who understood the importance of respecting their choices and providing the support required whilst promoting and maintaining people’s independence. This enabled people to achieve positive outcomes and promoted a good quality of life.

¿ People 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 provider was respected by the staff and promoted an open and transparent culture. The provider and staff understood their roles and responsibilities.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated ‘Good’ at our last inspection. The report following that inspection was published on 19 April 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

This inspection took place on 29 February & 9 March 2016 and was unannounced. At our last inspection on 17 April 2014 the service was found to be meeting the required standards in the areas we looked at.

Silver Springs is a care home for people who are living with learning disabilities or an autistic spectrum disorder. There were 8 people living at the home at the time of this inspection. The home consists of one large detached house spread over two floors. Each person has their own bedroom with shared bathrooms/shower facilities, one large sitting room and conservatory and shared kitchen/dining room.

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The majority of people who lived at the home were unable to communicate verbally but we observed staff supporting people with a range of communication aids, which included signing and interpreting people’s body language with regards to meeting their needs and wishes. People welcomed us into their home and people told us they felt safe and happy living at Silver springs.

Staff were clear about their role in supporting people and about how they positively managed risks to people's safety and well-being. There were clear plans on how to support people to have independence and control over their lives while promoting their safety, comfort and wellbeing.

Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to report concerns. Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed to ensure that all staff were suitably qualified and experienced. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff available to meet people's individual needs. People were supported to manage their medicines safely.

The atmosphere in the home was welcoming and there were positive and caring interactions between the staff and the people who lived in the home. People told us they were fully involved in planning their care and they were encouraged to develop their skills and interests. There were clear plans on how people wished to be supported and the goals they wanted to achieve. People enjoyed a varied healthy diet and their physical and mental health needs were well catered for.

People’s permission was sought before staff assisted them with care or support. Staff were supported to develop the required skills and knowledge to provide care effectively to people.

People’s relatives were encouraged to be involved in reviewing people’s support plans. People were actively supported to maintain family relationships and friendships.

The home was well led by a manager who knew the people and staff and supported them to have their views and ideas heard and acted upon. There was a positive open culture with staff working together in an atmosphere which valued their contribution to the service. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service and promote continuous improvement.

The inspection team was made up of one inspector. We set out to answer our five key questions; Is the service caring, responsive, safe, effective, and well led?

When we inspected Silver springs in October 2013 we found that they were not meeting two of the regulations we reviewed, so we checked to make sure they had made the required improvements. We found that they had made the improvements and were now meeting all the regulations we inspected. We checked to make sure that staff were properly supported in their roles and that records were maintained.

We saw that people were comfortable in their surroundings and interacted well with staff. We observed staff providing assistance with activities and people with differing abilities were able to participate. Staff were kind and caring in their approach and were patient when explaining things to people. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of people’s needs.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, discussions with people using the service, the staff supporting them and looking at records.

If you wish to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

The provider had a robust safeguarding policy and procedure in place and made appropriate referrals when required. People who lived at Silver springs told us they felt safe, and staff looked after them well. We saw people approaching staff and interacting with them in a comfortable and confident way.

Is the service effective?

We found that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes for people and, promoted a good quality of life which was evidence-based where possible. There were systems in place to ‘manage’ the home effectively.

Is the service caring?

We saw that staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. We found that staff were very kind and attentive to people who used the service. Staff supported people to maximise their potential and encouraged them with their individual plans and routines.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that the service was organised so that it could be responsive to people’s needs. Staff and managers responded quickly and appropriately to situations that occurred. People who used the service told us "They liked the staff and liked living at Silver Springs”.

Is the service well managed?

The service demonstrated that it had appropriate leadership, management and governance arrangements in place to ensure the organisation provided high-quality person-centred care, which supported learning and innovation, and promoted an open and fair culture.

You can see our judgements on the front page of this report.

We found that generally people who lived at Silversprings were happy in their environment and most people spoke positively about their experiences of living at Silversprings. People told us that they felt well supported by staff and that they felt safe.

We observed that the home had a person centred approach and there was evidence all around the home of events and both joint and individual things that people who lived at Silversprings had taken part in, had made or had been involved in.

We spoke to the manager about staffing levels as some of the records had not been maintained and did not accurately reflect the current position. Likewise, staff support meetings had not been provided at regular intervals, and the supervision of staff had fallen behind the planned schedule.

We found that there were some problems with accessing information, record keeping, and the storage and transportation of sensitive and confidential records, relating to people who used the service and staff who worked at the service.

A person that we spoke to told us they liked living at Silver Springs. They said they enjoyed going out to the cinema and bowling. They also liked it when staff took them out for fast food.

The people who we spoke with and observed when we visited the home on 26 January 2012 were relaxed and engaged in a variety of activities in the home and in the community.

During our visit to the service on 08 December 2011, people said that they made their own choices about how they spent their days. One person said they had chosen not to go to a day centre and had been out with staff to choose a new chair for their bedroom. They said they decided what time they went to bed, and usually chose to go at about 10pm. One person who spoke with us on 08 December 2011 said that they were never bored in the home and regularly went to Church and the hairdresser. They said that the staff made sure they were happy with how they were looked after. They said that they knew how to make a complaint and would tell one of the staff if they had a concern. They also said they knew what to do if there was a fire in the home and knew where to go outside.