The inspection took place on 26 July 2018 and was announced. At their last inspection on 22 January 2016 we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained 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.

Stairways Supported Living Service provides a service for up to nine people who have a learning disability and or physical disability and associated mental health needs. There were four separate flats. Two of these flats were shared occupancy one flat housed up to three people and the other up to four. The other two flats were for single tenancy. Each person in the shared accommodation had their own personalised bedroom with shared bathrooms/shower facilities, lounge, dining area and kitchen. There were eight people using the service at the time of this inspection. The registered manager’s office was in a separate part of the building.

Identified and potential risks to people’s health and well-being were reviewed and managed effectively.

People felt safe, happy and looked after in their homes. Staff received training in how to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to report concerns, both internally and externally.

The provider had safe and effective recruitment practices to help ensure that all staff were suitably qualified and experienced. Arrangements were in place to ensure there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff available to meet people’s individual needs.

The provider had plans and guidance to help staff deal with unforeseen events and emergencies. Staff checked the environment and equipment to help ensure they were maintained and safe to use.

Trained staff helped support people to take their medicines safely and at the right time.

People were positive about the skills, experience and abilities of staff who worked at the home. They received training and refresher updates relevant to their roles, staff had regular supervisions and meetings to discuss and review their development and performance.

People had access to health and social care professionals when necessary. Staff obtained people’s consent before providing personal care and support, which they did in a kind and compassionate way.

Staff had developed positive and caring relationships with people they cared for and knew them well.

People were involved in the planning, delivery and reviews of the care and support provided. Confidentiality was promoted. Information about people’s medical and personal histories was kept secure around the home.

Care was provided in a way that promoted people’s dignity and respected their privacy. People received personalised care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences.

People were supported to pursue social interests and take part in meaningful activities relevant to their needs, both at the home and in the wider community.

The provider had systems in place to record and respond to any concerns or complaints in line with the service policy.

People and staff were complimentary about the registered manager and how the home was run.

The inspection took place on 22 January 2016 and was announced to make sure that the people we needed to speak with were available. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection to make sure that they appropriate people were present. At our last inspection on 10 March 2014, the service was found to be meeting the required standards in the areas we looked at. Stairways Supported Living Service is registered to provide personal care for adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. The service provides support to people who lived independently in their own homes. There were two people who lived in their own home and four people that shared their home. Staff provided the support that people needed and were also available throughout the night if required.

There was a registered manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were supported by Stairways Supported Living Service to live in their own homes with staff that supported people’s needs. People were given the opportunity to meet the staff before agreeing to their support.

People felt safe, happy and were looked after in their homes. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and knew how to report concerns both internally and externally. Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed to help ensure that all staff were suitably qualified and experienced.

Staff completed regular health and safety checks that included security and fire safety.

Relatives and healthcare professionals were positive about the skills, experience and abilities of staff who worked in people’s homes. Staff received training and refresher updates relevant to their roles and had regular supervision meetings to discuss and review their development and performance.

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health and social care professionals when necessary. People were supported with shopping and meal preparation.

Staff made considerable efforts to ascertain people’s wishes and obtain their consent before providing personal care and support, which they did in a kind and compassionate way. Information about local advocacy services was available to help people access independent advice if required.

Staff had developed positive and caring relationships with the people they supported and clearly knew them well. People were involved in the planning, delivery and reviews of the care and support provided. The confidentiality of information held about their medical and personal histories was securely maintained throughout their home and in the office.

Care was provided in a way that promoted people’s dignity and respected their privacy. People received personalised care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s background histories, preferences, routines and personal circumstances.

People were supported to pursue social interests and take part in meaningful activities relevant to their needs, both at their home and in the wider community. They felt that staff listened to them and responded to any concerns they had in a positive way. Complaints were recorded and investigated thoroughly with learning outcomes used to make improvements where necessary.

Relatives and staff were complimentary about the registered manager and how the service was run and operated. Appropriate steps were taken to monitor the quality of services provided, reduce potential risks and drive improvement.

We carried out an inspection of Stairways Supported Living Service on 8 January 2014 and found that the provider was not meeting the standards for safeguarding people against the possible risk of financial abuse. People did not have risk assessments completed for when they accessed the community or used public transport without the support of care staff.

During this follow up inspection, we found that the provider was now meeting the standards for safeguarding people against the risk of financial abuse.

We inspected Stairways Support Living Service and found that people seemed to be well cared for and support by the provider. We were told that were possible people were incourage to be as independent as possible.

People we spoke with told us that the staff were 'helpful' and they were given choices on what they wanted to do. We observed while speaking to one person that they were well groomed and seemed happy and confident in speaking about the service. They told us that they were 'happy being there' and that staff 'care and look after' people and they 'understand' what people need.

We found that the provider was meeting the regulations by employing a sufficent number of staff to care for the people at the service. they had a robust complaints proceedure in place and people at the service were confident that any complaints would be listended to and acted on by the provider. Staff had revieved training on safeguarding and were aware of the responsibilities in safeguarding the people at the service from abuse. We did however find that the provider had not always obtained consent from people and that care plans did not always contain information required for the care and welfare of people at the service.