This announced inspection was conducted on 29 & 30 September 2016.

We gave the provider 48 hours' notice that we would be coming as service is a small home for adults with adults with learning disabilities and we wanted to be sure someone would be in.

15 Sussex Road is a semi detached house in Southport situated close to the town centre and its amenities. It is part of Arden College that provides specialist further education for young people aged 16-25 years of age with learning disabilities. 15 Sussex Road is registered to provide accommodation for up to three adults aged over 18 who attend the college. Accommodation can be term time only or outside of term time. At the time of our inspection there was one person living at the home and attending the college.

The inspection was conducted by an adult social care inspector.

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. ‘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.

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.

Staff received a regular programme of training and support, through regular supervision and appraisals.

The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed when the person in the home was unable to consent. We saw that an assessment of the person’s mental capacity was made and decisions made in the person’s best interest in consultation with health professionals and family members.

The registered manager had made an appropriate referral to the local authority applying for an authorisation to support a person who may be deprived of their liberty under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS is part of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and aims to ensure people in care homes and hospitals are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom unless it is in their best interests.

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

People’s dietary needs were managed with reference to individual preferences.

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.

Family members of people living a

When we visited 15 Sussex Road we were able to meet and talk to staff who supported people living at the home. One staff member we met with told us how much they enjoyed the work they did and that they felt the provider had given them training and information to enable them to do their job well.

Each person's planned care was detailed and we saw evidence of regular review of people's individual needs. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of how they could provide support and assistance which met people's needs, whilst protecting their safety and well-being. The provider had recently introduced the NHS 'Change for Life' healthy eating plan, which had been discussed with people at the home. Meal menus reflected current guidance on quality nutrition, and people's feedback on meal options had been taken into consideration.

When we looked around the home, we found it was suitably equipped to meet the needs of people who lived there. The building was in a good state of repair and that the provider had recently re-decorated the communal areas of the home. The layout of the building meant people had access to their own bathroom, which promoted their dignity and gave them the privacy they required.

By reviewing provider staff records and speaking with people who worked at the home, we found staff were suitably skilled and experienced to provide the support required by the people who lived at 15 Sussex Road. We looked at feedback from relatives whose family member's lived at the home. This showed relatives were involved in their family member's care and were kept informed of any changes to planned care and support.

We met with the three students living at the service. They were all positive about their experience and the documented evidence reflected this. One student told us that they liked going to college in the week and having their own bedroom. They liked being able to choose what they wanted to eat. Students also told us they liked everything and if they did not then they would speak to their tutor or their mother. Another student told us that they liked the house and their own room and going shopping. The night that we visited the student was going swimming. We found that the students were comfortable and settled in their environment and interacted well with the care staff. The care staff supporting them had a good knowledge of how to meet their needs. All of the staff spoken with stated that they thought that a good service of support was provided for the students.