The Old Vicarage is a care home which provides care and support for up to 13 adults with learning disabilities. The care service had 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.

There was no registered manager in post at the time of the inspection, although the manager had applied to register to ensure the provider met their registration requirements. 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.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from harm. Risk assessments were in place and these promoted people’s independence when at the service and when accessing the community. Medicines were managed safely. Incidents and accidents were reported and lessons learned were shared with staff. Safe recruitment practice was followed and there was enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Staff were trained and supported to carry out their roles. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. 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 supported this practice.

People using the service said staff were kind and caring and we saw that staff respected their privacy and dignity.

Care and support plans were person centred and detailed people’s personal goals. Staff knew people well and understood their needs. People confirmed that staff supported them as they wanted. Complaints were reported, investigated and resolved. Feedback from people and their relatives was sought.

There were robust quality assurance processes in place. Staff spoke highly of the manager. The provider’s values were embedded in the day to day support of people.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on the 31 March 2016 and was unannounced. The home was last inspected on 14 February 2014 and met all the legal requirements assessed at that time.

The Old Vicarage is a care home for up to 13 people with learning disabilities or mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people living at the home.

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.

People made positive comments about The Old Vicarage, one person told us “I like living here” they added “ I like the staff and I like the manager”. Another person said “ It’s lovely here”. Risks to people’s safety were identified, assessed and appropriate action taken and their medicines were safely managed. People’s individual needs and were known to staff who had achieved positive relationships with them. People were treated with kindness, their privacy and dignity was respected and they were supported to develop their independence and keep in contact with relatives. People were involved in the planning and review of their care.

Staff received support to develop knowledge and skills for their role. They spoke positively about their work with people. The registered manager was visible and accessible to people and staff, providing clear leadership and developing ideas to continually develop the service.

We found that people were involved in making decisions about their care, support and treatment. One person told us "I discuss my plans and things I want to do with my keyworker". We found that people were supported in promoting their independence and community involvement. People told us that they were supported to do things for themselves. One person told us "Friday is my day for doing my washing and cleaning and the staff help me". Another person said "staff help me do my own lunch".

The provider assessed people's needs and drew up plans to meet those needs. We found evidence of risks being assessed and plans being drawn up and implemented that protected people from harm whilst ensuring people had opportunities to develop skills and independence. One person told us "I've had ups and downs but since being here have made loads of progress".

We found that staff knew how to respond to any concerns of abuse and that the provider had responded appropriately when a concern arose. One staff member told us "we're here to protect people from harm".

The provider ensured there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. People told us there were enough staff to care for them and support them. One staff member said "staff are flexible and step in when needed".

We found the provider regularly asked for people's views and made changes were required. One person told us "this house has a good reputation.

We spoke to three people who were using the service. They told us how they had been involved in choosing how the home was decorated; they also told us how they were involved in decisions about activities outside of the home. One person told us how the environment of the home was maintained, commenting “things get fixed”.

People were aware of their care plans and also told us about the health checks they had received.

We heard positive comments about the staff with one person describing them as “pretty good”.

People told us how they would make a complaint if they needed to and also told us about a DVD that they had been involved in making about people making complaints.