Springside is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Springside provides accommodation and support for up to eight adults with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder in a large family home in a residential area.

Most people had a range of mild to moderate learning disabilities, but one person had complex learning and physical disability needs. Most people were able to carry out their own personal care with prompting and support from staff. People had been involved in planning an individual programme of activities. Some people went out into the community independently although most preferred to be supported by a member of staff. One person was dependent on staff support for all of their care needs. At the time of the inspection there were seven people living in the home.

At the last inspection in October 2015 the service was rated Good. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service was well run by a registered manager who had the skills and experience to run the home so people received high quality person-centred support. The registered manager led a team of staff who shared their commitment to high standards of care and clear vision of the type of home they hoped to create for people. This was to provide a safe, secure and happy environment where each person could be assisted to reach their full potential.

People told us they were supported well at Springside. They said it was “A good place to be” and they “Did very well” in the small, informal environment.The registered manager’s regular contact with people and the size of the home contributed to relaxed family style of care and support.

The provider had systems and processes in place to keep people safe and minimise the risk of abuse. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs in a relaxed manner.People told us they felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. They had no worries and were confident they could talk to staff if they had.

The manager and staff were very pro-active in arranging for people to see health care professionals according to their individual needs. Staff noted changes in people’s health and arranged GP visits when required.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. Some people had lived in the home for several years. One relative said “I cannot speak too highly of all involved in the care (of my relative.)They are technically good but also caring and loving.”

People received care that was responsive to their needs and personalised to their wishes and preferences. People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives.

There were formal and informal quality assurance systems in place to monitor care and plan on-going improvements. There were audits and checks in place to monitor safety and quality of support.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This inspection took place on 16 October 2015 and was unannounced.

At the last inspection on 18 February 2014 the service was meeting essential standards of quality and safety and no concerns were identified.

The service provides accommodation and support for up to eight adults with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of the inspection there were seven people living in the home. Most of the people had a range of mild to moderate learning disabilities, but one person had complex learning and physical disability needs. The majority of people could communicate verbally although some had more limited or no verbal communication skills. Most of the people were able to carry out their own personal care with prompting and support from staff. Some people could also go out into the community independently although most preferred to be supported by a member of staff. One person was dependent on staff support for all of their care needs.

The service had a registered manager. 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, relatives and staff were complimentary about the service and spoke highly about the registered manager. One person said “It’s very nice living here, I’m very happy”. A relative said “They provide very homely care. [Manager’s name] does a very good job of managing and likes to be hands on and makes sure everyone is doing what they should”.

People told us they were happy and comfortable in each other’s company and with the staff. There was a nice family atmosphere in the home.

Staff had a good understanding of each person’s needs and preferences. They received appropriate training to enable them to support people safely and effectively. We observed staff checked with people before providing any care or support and then acted on people’s choices. Where people lacked the mental capacity to make certain decisions about their care and welfare the service knew how to protect people’s rights.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to care for people safely and to meet their essential needs. People were engaged in a variety of activities within the home and in the community and they went out most days. However, the social and recreational activities available for some people, who were more dependent on staff support, were sometimes restricted by staff availability. The registered manager was seeking funding to employ additional staff to ensure people continued to experience a good quality of life.

People received their medicines safely and the service supported them to maintain good health through strong links with external health and social care professionals.

People’s relatives were made welcome and were encouraged to visit the home as regularly as they wished. The service was good at keeping them informed and involving them in decisions about their relatives care.

The provider had systems in place to make sure the service maintained a safe and high standard of care.

We visited the service and spoke with people who received support and staff employed by the service. We heard the staff described as “excellent” and “very good.” People were encouraged and supported by staff to make decisions about their day to day lives.

We observed the service to be effective at supporting people to make independent choices which supported their chosen lifestyles. We spoke with people who lived at the service who were able to tell us they were happy living there. We saw they were supported by staff who knew them well and understood their needs. A wide range of health and social care professionals were also involved in people’s support.

We saw medicines were managed safely; people were supported with attendance for healthcare appointments.

We found the service was responsive to people and listened to comments and complaints using them to improve the service. We saw the people who used the service had a good relationship with the manager and were able to raise issues with them.

The manager regularly reviewed the care and support plans with people who used the service. We read people’s feedback about the service was positive. We saw there were processes in place which assessed the quality of the service and allowed change to be implemented when needed.

People who lived in the home said staff provided the care and support they needed. They participated in all aspects of home life. They told us they made decisions about the care and support provided to them. One person said “I love it here. It’s a nice home. I wouldn’t want to move from here.”

They accessed a wide range of educational, social and leisure activities, outings and work placements. Some people accessed the community without staff support. People were supported to maintain relationships with their friends and family members.

People told us they liked the staff who supported them and staff understood what care and support they needed. One person said “The staff are very good actually. They are caring. They know what help I need.”

They told us they felt safe living in the home. People knew who to speak to if they were worried or upset. One person said "I have never been upset or unhappy. I can speak to the staff if I am." Another person told us "It is a safe place to live. I would talk to the staff if I was worried but I haven’t been worried about anything."

People knew they could complain if they were unhappy about any aspect of their care or the home more generally. No concerns were raised with us during our inspection. Everyone spoke very highly of the home. One person said “I have lived here for years. It’s nice living here. We can chat to the staff if anything worries or upsets us.”

People living in the home told us they were very happy living there; they said they felt safe and got on with everyone. People told us they felt supported by “great staff”. They said the staff team understood them, respected them and provided them with the support they needed. One person told us “the staff are so wonderful here, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else”. Another person said “the home is one big family and we are part of that”. Another person said “staff involve us and listen”.

They said they liked the environment and their bedrooms. People told us they get involved in household chores and tidied and cleaned their own rooms and some did their own laundry with the support of the staff.

People said they were consulted about how the home was decorated and furnished. We saw that bedrooms were personalised to meet people’s tastes and preferences. People said they liked the fact the home was close to local amenities where many of them did voluntary work. They said they liked walking and the home was near to good walking areas.

People told us the staff team were kind, caring and respectful. People said they found the provider approachable and friendly. They said staff were always involved in decisions about their care and lives and how the home was run. People gave recent examples of choosing where they went on holiday. People said they attend their care reviews. They said the staff and provider talk to them about goals they want to achieve and take account of their wishes. People said staff explain to them about any risks involved in their choices and support them to achieve what they want to do safely. They said they felt listened to and felt their opinion mattered and felt that if they had any concerns they would be acted on.

People said that they liked the food provided. They said they took turns in choosing the week’s menu. Many got involved in shopping, preparing and cooking food. People said if they did not like or want what was on the menu they were able to choose an alternative. We were told that they are able to access the kitchen freely where they can have drinks and snacks at anytime.

People told us they felt there was enough staff on duty to meet their needs and support their activities. They said the amount of staff on duty varied according to what was going on. We were told that people meet potential staff on a number of occasions before a candidate has an interview. They said they give the provider their opinion on the person and if they feel they do not think they are suitable, the provider does not employ them.