About the service:

The Sycamores provides personal care and support for up to eight people who experience learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. The accommodation is located in the market town of Alford in Lincolnshire. It is part of the larger organisation of Linkage Community Trust and is supported by regional and head office staff.

There were eight people living at the service at the time of the inspection.

The service worked within the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensured that people could live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control over their own lives, choice, and independence.

People’s experience of using this service:

•People were supported by staff who were clear about the action needed to ensure people were kept safe from harm.

•There were enough staff available with the right skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs in a person-centred way.

•People were supported to maintain their nutrition and staff monitored and responded promptly to people’s health conditions.

• People lived in a clean and hygienic environment and were given appropriate support to manage their chosen lifestyles and behaviours in the least restrictive way.

•People were enabled to have choice and control of their lives and were encouraged to develop their independence.

•People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff listened to people and always respected their choices and decisions.

•People were protected from discrimination and their rights were upheld.

•People’s needs were monitored and reviewed and people were supported to enjoy a varied social life.

•There was an open and inclusive culture within the service. People, relatives and staff had a say in how the services were being run and how they wanted them to be developed.

•Approaches to management and leadership were collaborative and enabled people to be kept at the centre of service planning and delivery. Staff were well supported and audits and governance systems ensured any shortfalls in the services provided were addressed in a timely manner.

Rating at last inspection:

The Sycamores was last inspected on 12 July 2016 (report published 23 August 2016) and was rated as good overall.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The Sycamores remained rated good overall.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about The Sycamores until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

We carried out this announced inspection on 12 July 2016.

The Sycamores is located in the market town of Alford in Lincolnshire. It is registered to provide care and support for up to eight people who experience needs related to learning disabilities. The home is part of the larger organisation of Linkage Community Trust and is supported by a team of regional and head office staff. Eight people were living in the home on the day of our inspection.

There was an established registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the home. 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 home is run.

Staff knew how to respond to any concerns which might arise so that people were kept safe from harm. People’s medicines were managed safely and staff worked with people in ways which helped to avoid the risk of accidents. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before any new staff were appointed.

Staff had received training and guidance about the work they were employed to do and they knew how to care for people in the right way. This included knowing how to respond to people who had different communication needs. People had also been supported to receive all of the healthcare assistance they needed.

Staff had ensured that people’s rights were respected by helping them to make decisions for themselves. The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to report on what we find. These safeguards protect people when they are not able to make decisions for themselves and it is necessary to deprive them of their liberty in order to keep them safe. In relation to this, the registered manager had worked with the relevant local authorities to ensure that people only received lawful care that respected their rights.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, respected confidential information and promoted people’s dignity.

People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and all of the care they needed. Staff supported people to pursue a wide range of interests and hobbies. There was a clear system in place for resolving complaints.

Regular monitoring and quality checks were undertaken which ensured that any issues related to the running of the home would be quickly resolved. Staff were supported to speak out if they had any concerns because the service was run in an open and inclusive way.

People told us they liked living at The Sycamores and had everything they needed. One person told us, “It’s brilliant here. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

We saw staff were caring and responsive to people's needs and respectful when they spoke with people.

Relatives told us they were very happy with the service provided. They told us they could raise any concerns if needed and the manager would listen and take action.

Relatives also told us they felt involved and visited regularly. One relative said, “If they’re happy we’re happy.”

The environment was clean and tidy and we saw processes in place to carry out any maintenance requirements.

There service was well led and there were monitoring systems in place to ensure service quality and performance.

Everyone we spoke with spoke positively about the staff and felt they fully supported their care needs. People told us the staff spoke with them in a calm and respectful manner. One person said, "Staff are ok."

The people we spoke with told us their care was personalised to their needs. People's preferred names were used.They told us they knew staff kept records on them and had seen those records and discussed the content. One person said, "I've signed my care plan and its correct."

People told us they felt safe and if they were concerned about anything they would discuss it with a family member, a friend or somebody in the office. One person said, "I like it here." Another said, "I like going to the library." People confirmed their views were sought through regular meetings with staff, quietly in the privacy of their rooms and by questionnaires.This was confirmed by the records reviewed.