We inspected The Highviews on 8 June 2016, the inspection was announced. The Highviews is a small care home for up to six adults with learning disabilities. People receiving the service also live with health conditions including epilepsy, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. The home is a large two story house, with a well- kept garden. It is situated in a residential area of Saltdean, on the outskirts of Brighton. Local amenities such as shops, library and a park are within walking distance of the home.

At the time of the inspection six people were living at The Highviews and 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.

The provider and registered manager were well regarded by people, their relatives and the staff. The ethos of the service was to provide professional care and promote independence within the atmosphere of a family home. This was understood by staff and embedded within their practice.

People were supported to make decisions and to be involved in planning their care. One person said, “They are always asking me about my care and what I want.” Care records reflected peoples personal preferences and were reviewed regularly to ensure staff had up to date information and guidance in how best to support people.

Staff had a clear understanding about how to keep people safe whilst supporting them to maintain their freedom and independence. Risks to individuals were identified and managed to ensure people were safe and staff demonstrated a good understanding of their responsibilities for protecting people from harm or abuse. There were robust arrangements in place to ensure that people could receive their medicines safely.

The provider had a thorough recruitment and induction process for new staff and there were sufficient staff to care for people’s needs. One person said, “There’s always carers around if I need anything.” Staffing levels were consistent and regular staff provided continuity for the people living at The Highviews.

Staff were well supported in their roles and had received regular training, supervision and appraisals. One staff member said, “We get good training and the trainer makes it relevant so we can relate it to our job.” People and their relatives told us they had confidence in the staff and that they were well trained.

People had developed positive, caring relationships with staff and they told us that they were happy with the care they received. A relative told us, “Staff are very caring, it’s a homely atmosphere and they communicate with our relative very well.” Care records were personalised and reflected the preferences, wishes and interests of people.

People had confidence that staff listened and acted upon any concerns or complaints raised. The provider used feedback from people, relatives and other professionals as well learning from incidents and accidents to drive improvements in the service.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and their choices regarding food and drink were respected. Staff ensured that people were able to access health care services when required and made referrals quickly when people’s health needs changed. Staff understood their role with regard to ensuring that people’s rights were upheld in line with the MCA. Staff understood when they needed to make a decision in the person’s best interest.

During our visit we saw that people were being treated with dignity and respect and people's independence was encouraged. People were spoken to in a respectful way. People told us that staff were helpful. One person told us 'staff are good' and another person told us that staff 'look after me'.

We saw that people experienced safe and effective care based on detailed care plans and risk assessments that met individual need.

People using the service were protected from abuse as they were supported by a staff team who had appropriate knowledge and training in safeguarding adults. people told us if they had any concerns they would report them to a manager.

Staff we spoke to and records we reviewed demonstrated that staff were suitably experienced and skilled to support people living in the home.

The provider had effective systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service.

During our visit we spoke with three people who used the service and with three staff members. These were the manager, the deputy manager and a care worker. We also took information from other sources to help us understand the views of people who used the service.

The people who used the service we spoke with told us they were happy with the care they received and with the staff team. One person told us “I like the staff. If you have problems, they help you”. Another person told us “I think I like it all here really”.

Staff we spoke with knew the people who lived at the home well and had a good understanding of their support needs. One member of staff we spoke with told us “I think people are happy here, we do our best and this is a happy home”.

Staff we spoke with said that they had undertaken safeguarding vulnerable adults training and all knew the correct procedure to follow if they witnessed abuse. We spoke with people who used the service who told us that they felt safe and knew who to talk to if they had any concerns.

During our visit, staff we spoke with confirmed that they had received relevant training and support and felt that there was an open and inclusive atmosphere within the home. We saw that the service ensured staff were able to deliver care and treatment safely through regular training and assessments. The service had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and to gain the views of the people who used the service.

People living at The Highviews have been there for many years and have clearly developed close relationships both with one another and with the staff. During our visit, the atmosphere was relaxed and very homely. We observed people speaking easily with staff, who were attentive, responsive to their wishes and treated them with dignity and respect.

All people we spoke to said they enjoyed living at Highviews and had no complaints about any aspect of the service they received. They felt that they were involved in how the home was run and could influence decision making processes. People said the staff were always kind, patient and attentive.

Should people be unhappy or concerned about anything they would evidently have no hesitation in speaking to someone and were confident that they would be listened to: 'I would tell the manager or my key worker and they would do something about it'

Overall people were clearly happy living in the home, which they described as clean, safe and comfortable. They are helped and supported to make choices. They also expressed satisfaction with the activities, that reflect their interests and the standard of the meals provided.