Woodside is a care home which provides long and short term residential care. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Eight people with a learning disability were receiving residential care at Woodside. They were between the ages of 21 and 59. Woodside is a large terraced house with accommodation over three floors adapted as a care home and three adjoining self contained flats.

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.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good

People were safe at the service because recruitment, finances, staffing, infection control, and arrangements for servicing and maintenance protected people from unsafe situations and harm. Medicine management was improved during the inspection and was safe. Individual risks to people were assessed and managed with as little restriction to the person as possible.

Staff knew how to protect people from abuse and discrimination. This information was clearly displayed and staff knew to report any concerns and ensure action was taken. The registered manager had acted appropriately where a potential safeguarding concern was identified.

Staff were supported to be skilled and efficient in their roles and spoke of good teamwork and how much they liked working at Woodside.

People’s legal rights were understood and upheld with as little restriction as possible.

People’s health care needs were met through working with external health care professionals and staff’s detailed knowledge of the people using the service. Staff had acted quickly in response to sudden illness.

The service had identified that the premises was not conducive to a wide variety of activities but plans were in place to improve the amount of useful space available to people.

People received a varied diet and specialist dietary needs were met. Some people prepared meals themselves with support.

Dignity and privacy were promoted. Individual needs were very varied but people received support and care according to their needs and preferences. People were treated with respect.

Support plans were detailed and reviewed with the person when possible, staff who supported the person and family members. Staff looked to identify best practise and used this to people’s benefit. Staff worked with and took advice from health care professionals, who spoke highly of the service.

A variety of activities were sought and people were supported to enjoy an active lifestyle.

Leadership was skilled. Staff were supervised, supported and were clear what was expected of them. Audits and checks were carried out in-house and through the provider, so any problem could be identified and rectified.

The registered manager understood and met their legal responsibilities.

This inspection took place on 25 November 2015 and was an unannounced inspection.

Woodside specialises in providing care and support to adults who have a learning disability. The home can accommodate up to 11 people. There are eight bedrooms in the main home and three self-contained flats attached to the property. Woodside offers long term and short stays. The home is staffed 24 hours a day.

The people we met had complex learning disabilities and not all were able to tell us about their experiences of life at the home. We therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.

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 supported by a stable and very caring staff team who knew them well. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and people were supported to access the community and enjoy trips out and other activities when they wanted.

The service was well-led. The registered manager and staff team were committed to ensuring people received the care and support they needed and that they enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life.

The staff team received the training and support they needed and their skills and knowledge were kept under review to ensure they remained competent.

Staff knew about the procedures to follow to minimise risks to people and to help keep them safe. Staff told us they would not hesitate in raising concerns and they felt confident allegations would be fully investigated and action would be taken to make sure people were safe.

The procedures for recruiting staff helped to minimise risks to the people who lived at the home. Checks were carried out on potential staff to make sure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staff did not commence employment until satisfactory checks had been received.

People were always asked for their consent before staff assisted them with any tasks and staff knew the procedures to follow to make sure people’s legal and human rights were protected.

People were unable to look after their own medicines. Staff made sure medicines were stored securely and there were sufficient supplies of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them.

People’s health and well-being was kept under review and staff liaised closely with health and social care professionals to ensure people received the support they needed.

The atmosphere in the home was very welcoming and relaxed. Routines were very relaxed and very much based around the preferences of the people who used the service. One member of staff said “The great thing is that I can support [Name of person] to do exactly what they want to do when they want to do it.

There were effective procedures in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.