Southwold House is registered to provide accommodation with personal care for ten people who have a learning disability. There were three people living at the service on the day of our inspection.

At the last inspection this service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Staff were knowledgeable about identifying abuse and how to report it to safeguard people. Recruitment procedures were thorough. Risk management plans were in place to support people to have as much independence as possible while also supporting their safety. There were also processes in place to manage any risks in relation to the running of the service.

Medicines were safely stored, recorded and administered in line with current guidance to ensure people received their prescribed medicines to meet their needs. People had support to access healthcare professionals and services. People had choices of food and drinks that supported their nutritional or health care needs and their personal preferences.

People were supported by skilled staff who knew them well and were available in sufficient numbers to meet people's needs effectively. People’s dignity and privacy was respected and staff were friendly and caring. People were supported to participate in social activities including community based events.

Staff used their training effectively to support people. The registered manager understood and complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff were aware of their role in relation to MCA and DoLS and how to support people so not to place them at risk of being deprived of their liberty. People were supported to have 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.

Care records were regularly reviewed and included people’s preferences and individual needs so that staff had clear information on how to give people the support that they needed. Relatives confirmed that people received the care they required.

The service was well led; relatives and staff knew the registered manager and found them to be approachable and available in the home. People’s relatives had the opportunity to say how they felt about the home and the service it provided. Their views were listened to and actions were taken in response. The provider and registered manager had systems in place to check on the quality and safety of the service provided and to put actions plans in place where needed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We inspected Southwold House on the 3 November 2014.

The service provides accommodation and support for up to 12 people with learning disabilities. There were five people living at the service at the time of our inspection. Due to their complex needs people found it difficult to communicate with us verbally. However people were able to communicate with sounds and gestures. To help us gather views we also spoke with people’s relatives.

The service has not had a registered manager in post for the past 12 months; however a newly appointed manager started in August 2014 and was going through the process to become a registered manager with the Care Quality Commission at the time of our inspection. 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 were cared for by staff that had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks were completed. There were enough staff available to support people.

Records were regularly updated and staff were provided with the information they needed to meet people’s needs. People's care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

Staff and the manager were able to explain to us what they would do to keep people safe and how they would protect their rights. Staff had been provided with training in safeguarding adults from abuse, Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find.

People were relaxed in the company of staff. Staff were able to demonstrate they knew people well. Staff were attentive to people's needs and treated people with dignity and respect.

People who used the service were provided with the opportunity to participate in activities which interested them, these activities were diverse to meet people’s social needs.

The service worked well with other professionals to ensure that people's health needs were met. Where appropriate, support and guidance was sought from health care professionals, including a doctor and speech and language therapist.

Relatives knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint, any complaints were resolved efficiently and quickly.

The manager had a number of ways of gathering views on the service including holding meetings with staff and talking with relatives.

The manager carried out a number of quality monitoring audits to ensure the service was running effectively. These included audits on care files, medication management and the environment.

At our last inspection in June 2011 we asked the provider to make improvements in outcome areas seven, ten and thirteen. We had found that there was incorrect information available about safeguarding adults and that most of the staff had not been trained and their knowledge was limited. The environment required improving and the garden was not usable because of its poor condition.

We carried out a desk top review in January 2013 and from the information that we had received from both the local authority and the provider showed that the service was compliant.

During our visit in May 2013 we found that there was good information available about safeguarding adults. People who use the service had limited communication. All people spoken with on the day of our visit either said or indicated that they were happy and we found them to be relaxed and smiling.

The environment had been greatly improved and the garden had been cleared and was neat and tidy.

We looked at the staff training records and they showed that staff had received training in a range of subjects. Training was delivered by way of e-learning and workshops. We saw that new staff had received a full induction.

Regular management inspections had taken place and the manager and deputy manager had carried out a range of audits to check the quality of the service. People told us that they were happy living in Southwold House.

People living in Southwold House had limited verbal communication but indicated to us that they were happy with their care and support. They appeared relaxed and happy and responded positively when asked if they felt safe. People were positive when interacting with members of staff.

People had limited communication skills but indicated that they were happy living there. One person with whom we spoke during our visit in June 2011 was positive in their response when asked about the care that they received.

Although many of the people that we talked with did not respond verbally to the questions that we asked, they did respond in a positive way and they appeared relaxed and happy in staffs presence.