The inspection visit took place on 23 February 2017 and was unannounced.

The Old School House is a care home that supports up to 18 people with learning disabilities or autism. At the time of our inspection 17 people were using the service. At the last inspection on 2 and 16 October 2014, the service was rated good. At this inspection, we found the service remained good.

People continued to receive safe care. Staff knew how to protect people from harm and abuse. Risks associated with people’s support was assessed to help them to remain safe. The provider had safely recruited a suitable number of staff to meet people’s support requirements. People received their medicines safely by staff who had guidance to make sure they remained competent.

People continued to receive effective care from staff. Staff received guidance, training and support to make sure that they worked well with people. People were supported to maintain their health including support with eating and drinking where this was required.

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

People were supported by staff who were kind and compassionate. Their dignity and privacy was maintained by staff who knew how to do this. People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them.

People had support plans that were focused on them as individuals so that staff had guidance about their preferences. Staff offered their care in line with things that mattered to people in a consistent way. Staff supported people’s different communication requirements so that people received information in ways that were important to them.

People’s relatives knew how to make a complaint or to raise a concern and the provider had suitable systems in place to manage these.

The service had an open and positive culture. People’s relatives and staff had opportunities to give suggestions about how the service could improve. The provider and registered manager were aware of their responsibilities. They had arranged for quality checks of the service to take place to make sure that it was of a high standard.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We were unable to communicate with people who used the service. However, through observation of facial expressions we saw that people were comfortable with staff.

People were provided with a choice of meals prepared to suit their dietary needs and preferences. Risks identified with regards to eating and drinking were managed to ensure people ate and drink sufficient amounts.

People had a range of assessments and care plans in place to inform staff about how to support people and meet their daily needs. People were supported to take their medicines. Records showed risks identified were managed to ensure people’s care and health needs were met safely by trained staff and health care professionals.

Staff received timely support, supervision and training to ensure people who lived at The Old School House received the care and support tailored to their needs. The training programme ensured staff skill mix and knowledge was maintained and specialist training was sourced to meet specific tailored care and/or health needs.

The provider had effective quality assurance system in place to monitor and manage the quality of service provided. People had opportunities to make a comment or a complaint about, which were acted upon. A system of audits, reviews and monitoring ensured the overall governance of the service protected the health, safety and welfare of people who used the service and others.

We were unable to communicate with people who use the service. However through

observation of facial expression we were able to see that people were comfortable with

staff.

We were unable to communicate with service users due to their considerable communication difficulties. However we could see from their facial expressions and their relaxed manner with staff that they were happy during our visit.

The Old School House provides care and support for up to 18 people with learning disabilities who may also have a physical disability. The home had been converted and adapted to meet the needs of the people who lived there.

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 service met all of the regulations we inspected against at our last inspection on 1 July 2013.

Due to people’s complex needs we were unable to speak with people in depth about their experiences. We carried out observations and saw that staff provided effective care that met the individual needs of the people who lived there. Staff were caring and attentive in their approaches and it was evident that they had developed an excellent understanding of people’s needs and communication styles.

Relatives we spoke with were complimentary about the service provided and spoke highly of the registered manager and staff team.

Staff working at the home were positive about their role and the service. They had been appropriately recruited, trained and supported. We saw that staff provided care in a way that centred on the needs of individual people who lived there. Staff understood the vision and values of the service and provided care in a safe environment.

People’s needs were assessed and plans were in place to meet those needs. People’s wishes and preferences were known, understood and responded to by the staff team. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were identified and plans were in place to manage those risks. People were supported to access healthcare professionals whenever they needed to.

The registered manager was clear about their vision and aims for the home and had ensured this was understood by the staff team. They had continually developed and improved the service and there was an emphasis on providing a high quality service to people.

The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care consistently and took action whenever necessary to make improvements.