About the service: Walsingham Support – 122 Aldenham Road provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with a learning and/or physical disability. Accommodation is provided in an adapted residential building with a communal dining area and lounge. People have access to a secure, level garden area. At the time of our inspection six people lived at the service.

The care service has 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.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they liked their home and they liked the staff. It was clear people and staff were fond of each other and had developed good relationships. People were shown respect by staff.

People could take part in the activities of their choice and there was evidence in people’s care records they had been fully involved in their care planning. People were encouraged to be independent and to raise any concerns.

People were provided with the food of their choice and they were supported to be involved in the running of the service through regular meetings. People could personalise their rooms and choose how they wished to spend their time. People had fed back through surveys that they felt safe.

People were kept safe by the robust processes and procedures in place that related to medicines, recognising safeguarding incidents, identifying risks to people and acting on concerns or worries.

People were cared for by staff who received appropriate training and staff who felt supported by management and enjoyed their role.

People lived in an environment that suited their needs and they were assisted with accessing health care professional involvement when needed. People were supported by other professionals to help ensure their quality of life was improved as staff worked in conjunction with other agencies.

We found the service continued to meet the rating of a good service. For more details, please see the full report which is on CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: We last inspected Walsingham Support – 122 Aldenham Road on 31 March 2016 when we rated the service as Good. The report was published on 18 August 2016.

Why we inspected: This fully comprehensive inspection was carried out in line with our inspection methodology in that we scheduled the inspection based on our previous rating.

This inspection took place on 31 March 2016 and was unannounced.

Aldenham Road is a care home for people who are living with learning disabilities or an autistic spectrum disorder. There were 6 people living at the home at the time of this inspection. The home is a large detached house over two floors. Each person has their own bedroom with shared bathrooms/shower facilities, one large sitting room and conservatory and shared kitchen/dining room.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Some people who lived at the home were unable to communicate verbally. We observed staff supporting people with a range of communication aids, which included signing and interpreting people’s body language with regards to meeting their needs and wishes. People welcomed us into their home and people told us they felt safe and happy living at Aldenham Road.

Staff were clear about their role in supporting people and about how to positively manage risks to people's safety and well-being. There were clear plans in place on how to support people to maintain their independence and control over their lives while promoting their safety, comfort and wellbeing.

Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from harm and knew how to report concerns. Safe and effective recruitment practices were followed to ensure that all staff were suitable for the role they were being employed to undertake. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff available to meet people's individual needs. People were supported to manage their medicines safely.

The atmosphere in the home was welcoming and there were positive and caring interactions between the staff and the people who lived in the home. People and their relatives told us they were fully involved in planning and reviewing their care. People were encouraged to develop their skills and interests. There were clear plans on how people wished to be supported and the goals they wanted to achieve. People enjoyed a varied healthy diet and their physical and mental health needs were well catered for.

People’s permission was sought before staff assisted them with care or support. Staff were supported to develop the required skills and knowledge to provide care effectively to people.

The home was well led by a registered manager who knew the people and staff. They supported people to have their views and ideas heard and acted upon. There was a positive open culture with staff worked together in an atmosphere which valued their contribution to the service. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service and promote continuous improvement.

On the date of this inspection we looked at the specific areas of non-compliance which were identified at our last inspection on 28 June 2013. On this occasion people who used the service were engaged in activities out in the community, therefore we were unable to speak with them.

We found the provider had appropriate systems in place to ensure people's care records were up to date and that they were taking reasonable steps to ensure people's records were securely stored.

We noted that the provider had submitted notifications to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as required. The provider had an appropriate complaints systems in place.

One person we spoke with told us “Staff are fine. I am happy living here.” Another person told us they were happy at the home.

We found that the provider had detailed care plans and risk assessments for people who used the service. We found that the provider took reasonable steps to ensure suitable staff were recruited to care for people who used the service. We noted that there was a complaint process in place but this was not always effectively implemented. We found that the provider did not have suitable systems in place to ensure peoples support plans were up to date. Nor did they have systems in place to ensure people’s personal information was securely stored. We noted that the provider did not send notifications to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as required under the term of their registration.

People told us that they liked living at the home; they found staff to be attentive and caring. People felt that they were treated with respect and that they received the personal care they needed. They enjoyed social activities that had been arranged by the home. People confirmed that they felt safe in the home and that staff aided them to be as independent as possible. Comments from people about the staff and home included "Staff are nice” and "I like living here”.