We carried out this announced inspection on 29 September 2017. We gave the service a short period of notice. This was because the people who lived there had complex needs for care and benefited from knowing in advance that we would be calling. Most of the people who lived in the service had special communication needs and used personal versions of sign assisted language to express themselves.

The Farmhouse is registered to provide accommodation and care for eight people who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection visit there were eight people living in the service.

The service was run by a company. 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. In this report when we speak about both the company who ran the service and the registered manager we refer to them as being, ‘the registered persons’.

At the last inspection on 28 October 2014 the service was rated as being, ‘Good’.

At this inspection we found the service remained, ‘Good’.

Care staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse including financial mistreatment. People had been supported to take reasonable risks while also being helped to avoid preventable accidents. Medicines were safely managed. There were enough care staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new care staff had been appointed.

Care staff had been given training and they knew how to care for people in the right way. People were supported to contribute to making their own meals and they were helped to eat and drink enough. In addition, the registered persons had ensured that people received all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were treated with compassion and respect. Care staff recognised people’s right to privacy and promoted their dignity. People had been supported to access independent lay advocates and confidential information was kept private.

Care staff had involved people and their relatives in making decisions about the care that was provided. People had been supported to be as independent as possible and they were given reassurance if they became distressed. In addition, they had been helped to pursue a wide range of hobbies and interests. There were arrangements for quickly and fairly resolving complaints.

People had been consulted about the development of their home and quality checks had been completed. Good team working was promoted and care staff had been enabled to speak out if they had any concerns.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We inspected The Farmhouse on 28 October 2014. The inspection was unannounced. The last inspection took place on 5 April 2011 during which we found there were no breaches in the regulations.

The Farmhouse provides care and support for up to eight people who experience learning disabilities and needs within the autistic spectrum. It forms part of a larger complex of homes provided by Autism Care (UK) Limited, in the Scopwick area of Lincolnshire. Eight people lived at the home at the time of our inspection.

There was a 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.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (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 or others. At the time of the inspection seven people who used the service had their freedom restricted and the provider had acted in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, DoLS.

People felt happy, comfortable and safe living in The Farmhouse.

People were involved in planning and reviewing their support wherever they were able to be. There were systems in place to protect their rights when they were unable to make a decision about their support. They could be assured their safety needs were met because there were clear systems in place for assessing and monitoring risk and staff were knowledgeable about those systems.

People were supported by staff who were well trained, supported and knowledgeable about their preferred lifestyles. Staff were aware of how to raise any concerns on behalf of the people they supported and felt comfortable and supported to do so.

People’s wishes, preferences and needs were responded to individually. We saw examples throughout our inspection of warm, respectful and dignified interactions between people and the staff who supported them. People were encouraged and supported to pursue the activities, hobbies and interests that had meaning for them. They also benefitted from good access to healthcare services and nutritional arrangements.

There was an open and supportive culture within the home which allowed every one to take part in the planning and delivery of services. There was a monitoring system in place which used a variety of ways to gather information about the quality of the services provided. The information was used by the provider, manager and staff to learn lessons and make improvements which would enhance people’s experience of the support provided.

We used a number of different ways to help us understand the experiences of people. This was because people had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us directly about their experiences of care and support.

Before we undertook our visit we reviewed all of the information we had about the service. During our visit we observed the support people received and spoke with staff about the work they did.

Throughout our visit we observed people were supported in a caring, respectful and dignified way. Staff responded to each person's way of communicating their needs, wishes and choices.

We found staff had been given the right amount of training and support which helped them understand peoples' complex needs. Staff told us they were confident in carrying out their roles.

People were provided with a variety of different food and drink that met their individual needs.

We looked at the statement of purpose and found this reflected the current service provision. Overall we found the service was well led and the home owner and manager had a system in place to respond to any concerns or complaints they received.

We used a number of different ways to help us understand the experiences of people who used the service. This was because people had complex needs which meant that they were not able to tell us about their experiences.

We saw that people who lived in the home received individualised care and support, from staff that were knowledgeable about their needs, wishes and preferences.

Staff clearly understood each person’s way of communicating their needs and wishes. They supported them to make choices and decisions about their lifestyles wherever they could do so.

People were not able to tell us about their experiences. However we saw that they were being supported to take part in daily routines and individual activities of their choice. We saw that they have a wide range of activities to choose from.

They live in clean and comfortable surroundings, and are able to personalise the surroundings with things that they like.