The inspection took place on 8 and 10 November 2016 and was announced.

113 Sussex Road is part of the student accommodation for people with a learning disability who attend Arden College. During the evenings and weekends educational and leisure activities are offered to the students to extend their learning and to promote independence. The home can accommodate three young people aged 16-25 and on the day of our visit there was one person living there.

The service was last inspected in January 2014 and at that time was found to be meeting standards. There was 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.

The staff we spoke with described how they would recognise abuse and the action they would take to ensure actual or potential harm was reported. Training records confirmed staff had undertaken safeguarding training and this was on-going.

We reviewed the way medication was managed. We saw there were systems in place to monitor medication so that people received their medicines safely.

We looked at how staff were recruited and the processes to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. We found recruitment to be well managed and thorough.

We found there were enough staff on duty each day to keep the person safe and to be able to access the community.

Staff received a regular programme of training and support, through regular supervision and appraisals. Staff were very complimentary about their manager ( house manager) who they said was very supportive.

Care was organised so any risks were assessed and plans put in place to maximise people's independence whilst help ensure people's safety.

Arrangements were in place for checking the environment to ensure it was safe. We found the environment safe and well maintained.

The service adhered to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). We saw that an assessment of the person's mental capacity was completed.

Care records showed that the person’s health care needs were addressed and contact with external health care professionals was made when needed. We saw that the house manager and staff liaised well with community services to support the person who lived in the home.

Dietary needs were managed with reference to individual preferences. Staff provided support and supervision to enable the person to choose and cook their own snacks and meals.

The person living in the home took part in a range of activities of their choice.

Care and support plans were formulated and were current to meet the person's needs. We saw that the person living in the home was involved in their care planning and decision making on a day to day basis. The person living in the home had made progress with staff in many areas towards independent living.

Staff felt they had the skills and knowledge needed to support the person in the way they required. The person living in the home was satisfied with the support they received from staff. They were pleased with the progress they had made since their admission.

There was a complaints procedure was in place. A record was made of any complaints and these had been responded to within the timescales given in the policy.

Staff were aware of the whistle blowing policy and said they would not hesitate to use it.

The home manager was able to evidence a series of quality assurance processes and audits carried out internally and externally by staff and from external agencies. These were effective in managing the home and ensuring it was a safe environment.

The registered manager was aware of their responsibility to notify Care Quality Commission (CQC) of any notifiable incidents in the home. However we found one incide

We spoke with one person who lived at Sussex Road about the support they were receiving. They were positive about the home and staff members working there.

The care plans we looked at were well maintained and were up to date. Irrespective of the differing needs of the people in the home we could see that independence was encouraged and people were supported in their hobbies and interests and took an active part in everyday tasks.

The home had both child and adult protection procedures that were designed to ensure that any possible problems that arose were dealt with openly and people were protected from possible harm.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place.

We looked at staff training records. These contained evidence of the training provided to help ensure staff had the knowledge and skills to support people properly.

Because of its small size information about the quality of the service provided was gathered on a continuous and ongoing basis with direct feedback from the people living in the home.

On the day of our inspection the two residents from the home were at college until mid afternoon. On their return from college we spent time with them while they shared with us their views and experience of living at the home.

The person we spoke with told us that they liked living at the home and they felt comfortable there. They also said the staff treated them well and respected what they said and how they felt. We observed staff having a positive rapport with the people living at the home and there was genuine consideration, support and warmth.

The manager told us that there was a weekly meeting with the students to discuss the previous week's activities and plan the follow week's meals and activities. This was supported by our discussions with the people who live at the service, they showed us their weekly plan and told us that they were going to the cinema after tea on that evening.

The person we spoke with told us that they had no complaints about the service, they said if they were unhappy they would speak with the manager. They said the care was good, this showed the home was responsive to people's care needs.

We observed a range of information documents for the students which were in an easy read format. There was also a small file to aid inspectors with speaking to students with communication difficulties, this had some familiar pictures they could relate to which helped them understand the questions we asked.