This inspection took place on 31 January 2017 and 1 February 2017 and was unannounced.

The Orchard is registered to provide accommodation with personal care to a maximum of six people who have a learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairment or autistic spectrum disorder. There were five people living at the home on the days of our inspection and one person was in hospital.

A registered manager was in post and was present during our inspection. 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 registered manager did not have clear oversight of the management of the home due to moving to another home. Although this had no impact on people or staff we found issues around the completeness and availability of some records. The provider’s quality assurance systems had identified some issues we found but the registered manager was not made aware of these.

People were supported by staff who understood how to recognise and report abuse. The risks connected with people's care and support needs had been assessed and plans introduced to manage these.

The provider assessed and organised their staffing requirements based upon people's care and social needs. Safe recruitment practices were in place which ensured that staff who provided care were suitable to work at the home.

People were supported to take their medicines safely and when they needed them. Medicines were stored safely and only staff who had received training and been assessed as competent were able to support people with their medicines.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to understand and support people's individual needs. These skills were kept up to date through regular training and staff were also supported in their roles by managers and their colleagues.

People's right to make their own decisions and give their consent to their day to day care and treatment was sought and respected by staff. Staff asked people’s permission before they helped them with any care or support. When people could not make their own decisions regarding their care and treatment the provider made sure decisions were made in their best interests to ensure their rights were upheld lawfully.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and risks associated with this were assessed and monitored by staff and other healthcare professionals. Staff followed the guidance of healthcare professionals where appropriate and helped people to access healthcare services. People’s routine health needs were monitored and they had health action plans in place to make sure they received on-going healthcare support.

There was a lively and friendly atmosphere within the home. People were treated with kindness and respect and were involved in making decisions about their day to day care and the support they needed. Staff were attentive to people’s needs and knew them well. Staff supported people in a way that was caring and promoted their right to privacy and dignity.

People received care and support that was tailored to their individual needs and preferences. They were supported to spend their time how they wanted to but within a structured programme of either day opportunities or college. People and their relatives were given opportunities to provide feedback on the care they received including raising concerns or complaints.