The inspection took place on 12 July 2017 and was unannounced.

Whiteheather provides accommodation and personal care and support for up to five people who predominantly have physical disabilities and may have mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were five people who lived in the service.

The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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.

The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Appropriate mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions had been undertaken by relevant professionals. This ensured that the decision was taken in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, DoLS and associated Codes of Practice. The Act, Safeguards and Codes of Practice are in place to protect the rights of adults by ensuring that if there is a need for restrictions on their freedom and liberty these are assessed and decided by appropriately trained professionals.

The service had appropriate systems in place to keep people safe, and staff followed these guidelines when they supported people, however there were insufficient numbers of care staff available to meet people’s care needs at all times. People received their medication as prescribed and on time. The provider also had a robust recruitment process in place to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm.

People’s health needs were managed by staff with input from relevant health care professionals. Staff supported people to have sufficient food and drink that met their individual needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times.

People where they were able and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Care plans accurately reflected people’s care and support requirements and people’s healthcare needs were well managed. Staff interacted with people in a caring, respectful and professional manner, and responded well to people’s care and support needs.

People were encouraged to take part in interests and hobbies that they enjoyed. They were supported to keep in contact with family and develop new friendships so that they could enjoy social activities outside the service. The registered manager and staff provided people with opportunities to express their views and there were systems in place to manage concerns and complaints.

There was an open culture and the management team demonstrated good leadership skills. Staff were clear about their roles and they were able to express their views. The management team had systems in place to check and audit the quality of the service. The views of people and their relatives were sought and feedback was used to make improvements and develop the service

The inspection took place on 15 July 2015 and was unannounced. Whiteheather provides accommodation and personal care and support for up to five people who live with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. The service does not provide nursing care. At the time of our inspection there were five people who lived in the service.

The service had recently recruited a new manager and an application for registration was in process. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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.

People were safe because staff understood their responsibilities in managing risk and identifying abuse. People received safe care that met their assessed needs. There were enough staff who had been recruited safely and who had the skills and knowledge to provide care and support in ways that people preferred. The provider had systems in place to manage medicines and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely.

The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Appropriate mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions had been undertaken by relevant professionals. This ensured that the decision was taken in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, DoLS and associated Codes of Practice. The Act, Safeguards and Codes of Practice are in place to protect the rights of adults by ensuring that if there is a need for restrictions on their freedom and liberty these are assessed and decided by appropriately trained professionals.

People’s health needs were managed appropriately with input from relevant health care professionals. Staff supported people to have sufficient food and drink that met their individual needs. People were treated with kindness and respect by staff who knew them well.

People were supported to maintain relationships with friends and family so that they were not socially isolated. There was an open culture and staff were supported to provide care that was centred on the individual.

The provider had systems in place to check the quality of the service and take the views and concerns of people and their relatives into account to make improvements to the service.

As part of our inspection we spoke with one person that used the service, two relatives and five members of staff. People who used the service had limited communication skills and were not always able to share their views. One relative told us: “I always voice my opinion on behalf of my relative and I feel as though I’m being listened to.” Another relative told us: “Everything that could be done is being done.”

We found that people were supported in promoting their independence and community involvement. People’s diversity and values were respected.

We looked at five sets of care records and found that care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people’s safety and welfare.

Medicines were prescribed and given to people appropriately and kept safely. Records were kept securely and could be located promptly when needed. We saw that there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

We also found that there were enough skilled, experienced and qualified staff to meet people’s needs. A staff member told us: “It’s a pleasure to come to work, the atmosphere is great.” Another member of staff said: “There is an open door policy and working here is a joy.”

We talked with two people living in Whiteheather, who told us that they liked living in the service. People also told us that they got on well with the staff, who supported them to go out, to follow their favourite football team, to be part of the local community and to go on holiday. They also told us that their rooms were comfortable and that they had their own belongings around them.

We observed that the staff were attentive to people’s needs. Staff interacted with people in a friendly, respectful and professional manner. We saw that staff sought people’s agreement before providing any support or assistance. The people we saw were relaxed and engaged with their surroundings.

We saw that appropriate measures were taken to ensure that the people living in the home, their visitors and the staff were protected against the spread of health care associated infections. People were encouraged and supported to make complaints. Staff on duty told us that they tried to ensure that complaints were dealt with informally and we saw that complaints that had been received were dealt with in line with the provider’s complaints procedure.

Some of the people living at Whiteheather were not able to communicate with us verbally and some chose not to speak with us. They shared their views through gestures, facial expressions and body language wherever possible.

We saw that people in the home were relaxed and comfortable with staff and other people using the service.

Relatives who completed surveys as part of the home’s own quality assurance process were complimentary about the service provided. They made positive comments about the environment, the care provided, the staff and how the home was managed.