This was an unannounced inspection on 14 December 2017 carried out by one inspector. Woodland view short breaks provide respite care and emergency care whilst people are looking for their new home. The service has accommodation for up to ten people which includes nine ensuite bedrooms and one self-contained apartment; sixty eight people currently use the service throughout the year.

There was a manager for the service who was completing the process to become a registered manager in the service. 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 in November 2015 we rated this service as Good and on this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to receive safe care. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and plans were in place to monitor people and to assist them in a safe manner. The staff understood how to protect people from harm and were confident that any concerns would be reported and investigated by the manager. People were helped to receive their medicines as prescribed and there were safe recruitment procedures in place to ensure new staff were suitable to work with people.

People continued to receive effective care. Staff were supported and trained to ensure that they had the skills to support people effectively. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible. People were able to make decisions about how they wanted to receive support to ensure their health needs were met. When people required assistance to eat and drink, the provider ensured that this was planned to meet their preferences and assessed need.

The care people received remained good. People knew staff well and their privacy and dignity were respected and upheld by the staff who supported them. Staff understood how people communicated and they supported them to make choices about their care. People continued to have relationships with people who were important to them.

The service remained responsive. People had care records that included information about how they wanted to be supported and this was reviewed to reflect any changing needs. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and to ensure that they could go out and continue with their hobbies and interests. People knew how to raise any concern and staff were interested in resolving these.

The service remained well led. People were asked for their feedback on the quality of the service and their contribution supported the development of the service. Quality assurance systems were in place to identify where improvements could be made and staff received training and support to enable them to fulfil their role effectively and were encouraged to develop their skills.

The inspection took place on the 13 November 2015 and was announced 24 hours before the visit. This was the services first inspection since it had reregistered within a new building. This service was previously known as White Lodge.

The service provided short breaks and personal care to up to 10 people who have learning disabilities and associated complex needs.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 were safeguarded from abuse and the risk of abuse as staff knew what constituted abuse and who to report it to. The manager had previously made referrals for further investigation when they had suspected abuse had taken place.

People were supported to be as independent as they were able to be through the effective use of risk assessments and the staff knowledge of them.

There were enough suitably qualified staff who had been recruited using safe recruitment procedures to maintain people’s safety and to support people in hobbies and activities of their choice.

People medicines were stored and administered safely by medicines trained staff.

People were supported to consent to their care through the effective use of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) set out the requirements that ensure where appropriate decisions are made in people’s best interests where they are unable to do this for themselves. People’s capacity had been assessed and staff knew how to support people in a way that was in their best interest and was the least restrictive.

People and their representatives were involved in decisions relating to their care, treatment and support. Care was planned and delivered based on people’s preferences and regularly reviewed with people.

People were supported to have a healthy diet dependent on their assessed individual needs. People were given choices and asked what they would like to eat and drink.

People had access to a range of health professionals and staff supported people when they became unwell to seek medical assistance.

People were treated with kindness and compassion and their privacy was respected. Staff supported people to be independent and have a say in how the service was run.

People had opportunities to be involved in the community and to participate in hobbies and interests of their choice.

Staff felt supported to fulfil their role effectively through regular support and supervision and training applicable to their role.

The registered manager was passionate about improving the service. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and an on-going improvement plan.