This inspection was announced and took place on 29 December 2016. This was the first inspection since the provider registered at the location in September 2015. We had inspected the service when it was registered at a previous location and at that time, the provider was meeting the standards we looked at. The service was registered to provide personal care support to people living in their own properties that were part of a supported living service. At the time of our inspection, 20 people with learning disabilities were using the service across five properties. We visited three of the properties during this inspection visit and the registered office base.

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.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. However, when people were not able to make decisions about their support, the provider did not always ensure that they had the information needed to confirm who could make decisions on their behalf. Even though people’s capacity had been considered, the provider had not assessed this and was not able to show why some decisions made on behalf of people were in their best interests.

People were safe receiving support from staff who had the knowledge and skills needed to protect people from harm and abuse. Risks to people were assessed and managed to keep them safe at home and in the community. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs and the provider had safe recruitment processes in place. People were supported to have their medicines safely and as prescribed.

Staff were supported and worked well as a team. They were equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to carry out their roles. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and good physical health.

People were treated with kindness by staff who were caring. People were encouraged to make decisions about their care and staff knew how to communicate with people to enable them to be involved. People’s skills were recognised and they were supported to be independent. People’s privacy was respected and their dignity promoted. Relationships were maintained and families were able to visit when they chose.

People were involved in the planning of their care and received support that was individual to them. People’s views were respected and they were supported to take part in activities that they enjoyed. People were encouraged to give feedback about their support and knew how to raise any concerns or complaints.

A positive open culture was promoted and people were positive about the management and leadership in place. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. These were used to drive continuous improvements.