This inspection took place on the 12 and 13 September 2016 which was unannounced, the inspection team consisted of one inspector on both days.

The Field Lane Domiciliary Agency Southend-on-Sea is registered to provide personal care. The people using this service are living with various types of learning disabilities. They are supported by the agency to live as independently as possible in a supported housing environment. The agency is currently supporting people living in two separate premises in the Southend area. Both houses are staffed 24 hours a day.

The service has 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.’

Suitable arrangements were in place to ensure that people received appropriate care and support to meet their needs. Staff knew the needs of the people they supported and they were treated with respect and dignity. People’s healthcare needs were well managed and they had access to a range of healthcare professionals.

People’s needs were met by sufficient numbers of staff. Suitable arrangements were in place to ensure that staff had been recruited safely; they received opportunities for training and supervision. People were safeguarded from harm. Staff had received training in Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and had knowledge of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and how to apply these. The registered manager was aware of how and when to make a referral. People had sufficient amounts to eat and drink to ensure that their dietary and nutrition needs were being met.

People were provided with the opportunity to participate and engage in activities of their choice which met their needs. Relatives and people who used the service knew how to make a complaint and we felt reassured that all complaints would be dealt with and resolved efficiently and in a timely manner.

The service had a number of ways of gathering people’s views which included holding meetings with people, staff, and relatives. The registered manager carried out a number of quality monitoring audits to help ensure the service was running effectively and to help them make any improvements.

We found that staff had good understanding of people's individual needs. We saw that people were treated respectfully and their individuality and diversity understood. The interaction we saw between staff and people was relaxed, friendly and enabling.

Staff we spoke with said they had been properly recruited and trained. Staff told us that they received very good support in their roles.

We saw that people’s care and support was planned and reviewed regularly. Risks to the health, welfare and safety of the person were identified and managed.

Some of the people we met at our inspection could not, because of their disabilities, tell us verbally about their experiences and so we used observation to help us understand their experience of the service. People we were able to speak with told us that they were satisfied with how they were treated and with the level of support provided. One person told us, "The staff are good to me and I’m looked after.” “I like it here the staff ask me if I feel safe.” Another person said, “I like this house the staff are really nice people, they have completely changed things for the better for me.” “I appreciate the staff and the manager is the best.”

People using the services of The Field Lane Domiciliary Agency Southend-on-Sea were happy with the care and support provided by the agency. They told us that staff treated them well and were always pleasant. One person told that their relationship with staff was like that of having good friends. People told us that they were always offered choices in their day to day lives.

People using the agency and living in one of the two supported living houses had a range of needs including those associated with different types of learning disability. Some people were not therefore able to tell us directly about their experiences. However, we observed how they interacted with staff and how they were assisted and saw that they were relaxed and had good rapport with staff. We saw that staff were kind and patient with people.