We inspected Spencers Lodge on 4 October 2016. The inspection was unannounced.

Spencers Lodge is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to eight people who experience needs related to learning disabilities. It is located in the grounds of Toynton College in Toynton All Saints near Spilsby in Lincolnshire.

There was an established registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People enjoyed living at Spencers Lodge and were supported to have as much control over their lives as they were able and wanted to have. They and their relatives, were involved in planning and reviewing their individual support. Staff had a very clear understanding of people's needs, wishes and aspirations. They received their support in a personalised way with a focus on helping them to maintain and develop their independence. People’s health and nutritional needs were well supported to enable them to stay healthy. They were supported to engage in meaningful activities and maintain and develop their personal interests.

People were safe living in the home. Staff were trained and supported to identify and manage any potential risks to people’s health, safety and welfare. The provider had systems in place to ensure that people were protected from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to contact other agencies to report any concerns of this nature. The provider also had clear systems in place to ensure that they only employed staff who were suitable and safe to work with people who lived in the home.

The provider and the registered manager ensured there were enough staff with the right skills to promote and maintain a persalised approach to supporting people. Staff were trained and supported to manage people’s individual needs, and to keep up to date with good practice and relevant legislation. Their training programme included courses about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the MCA and DoLS and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves. People’s rights were respected in accordance with this legislation. They were supported to make decisions for themselves wherever they were able to do so. Where restrictions to their freedom had been authorised, the conditions applied to the authorisation had been met.

The home was run in an inclusive and open way which enabled everyone to express their views. There were systems in place to enable people, their relatives and other visitors to raise concerns or complaints and have them resolved. People and their relatives also had more formal opportunities to provide their feedback about the quality of the service by way of satisfaction surveys.

Systems were in place to ensure that any shortfalls in the quality of the services provided were identified and improved in a timely manner. The systems included regular audits of the key areas of support and practice.

When we visited Spencers Lodge there were four students living at the home. One student was away visiting family so we spoke with another student and observed how two others were supported. This was because they had different ways of communicating and could not tell us directly about their experiences of the support they received. We also spoke with two of the student’s family members, the manager and two staff members.

A single inspector carried out this inspection. The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people using the service and staff told us.

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

Is the service safe?

Students were protected from the risk of abuse.

Staff had received training to make sure students stayed safe and they had a good understanding of the processes for reporting any concerns.

There was a policy in place which described what safeguards needed to be observed if a student needed to have their freedom limited. This was so that any restrictions used were the least necessary and were reviewed regularly.

Is the service effective?

Students and their families were given all of the information they needed to enable them to make a choice of whether or not to use the service.

Students and their families were involved in the care assessment, planning and review processes. There was a clear transition process and good support to help students settle in to the home and get the right level of support for their needs.

Staff had received training about student’s individual needs to enable them to provide effective support.

Is the service caring?

Students were relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. Staff demonstrated their respect for student's individual needs and wishes.

A student told us, “It’s great, I am very happy here. I have lots to do like horse riding, Wii, Skype and I like board games.”

Family members told us things like, “I can’t find fault, XXX has made wonderful progress there” and “I am confident in the staff, they are in tune with XXX’s likes and dislikes. XXX has made amazing steps forward.”

Is the service responsive?

Family members told us they knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. They said that if they had any concerns they spoke with staff or the manager and the issues were resolved quickly.

Staff responded quickly to suggestions raised by students and their families in regard to the care and support provided. A family member said, “The staff listen and respond to any suggestions we make.”

The provider had responded in the right way to the things we said needed to be improved. They also responded in the right way to updated national guidance about care practice.

Is the service well-led?

There was a system in place to regularly assess the quality of support provided for students. This included gathering the views of students and their families. The systems ensured that action plans were in place to address any issues highlighted.

Clear communication systems were in place within the home and within the wider organisation which made staff feel valued and helped them to maintain consistency with student's support.

Staff felt well supported by the manager and they were able to share their views in an open atmosphere.

On the day of our inspection visit there were five students living in the service. We spoke with all of them. In addition, we spoke with two parents. Everyone we spoke with gave us positive feedback about the service. A student said, “The staff here are good and do right things such as helping me with things.” A parent said, "I have seen my son improve so much since he’s been there it’s not true. I’m very grateful to the staff.”

Staff had consulted with students and parents about the support each person needed and wanted to have.

Students said that they received all of the health and personal care they needed. Records confirmed that assistance had been provided in a safe, reliable and responsive way.

There were safe and reliable systems for managing students’ medication.

Some of the necessary security checks on staff had not been completed. This reduced the confidence people could have that only suitable and trustworthy staff were employed.

There was an effective system for dealing with complaints so that issues could be resolved quickly and fairly.

During our visit we spoke with three people who used the service, the manager and one care worker.

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received and felt Spencer’s Lodge was a safe place to live. We saw they were offered choice and staff respected their privacy and dignity while encouraging them to be as independent as possible. One person told us, "It's nice living here, I go to college to do my lessons and we do lots of leisure activities.” Another person said,”I love it here.”

People said they had access to a variety of activities and stimulation. They told us they went to college for education classes and enjoyed all the visits and activities in the community. One person told us about their 21st birthday party. They had been driven round Skegness in a limousine. The staff said a DVD of the experience had been provided, which the person really enjoyed watching. The person told us, “It was the best.”

No-one raised any concerns with us during our visit. People said they felt confident taking any concerns to the manager or any of the staff. They told us how they were involved in making decisions at the home such as the meals they cooked and the leisure activities.