Woodview Care Home is a care service providing accommodation and personalised support for up to nine adults with autistic spectrum conditions, learning disabilities and complex needs. It is based in Sheffield. Every two bedrooms share an en-suite, adapted bathroom. The home has an open plan lounge and dining area. The lounge patio doors lead to a level access patio and sensory garden. People living at Woodview Care Home have access to an on-site hydrotherapy pool.

At the last inspection, the service was rated as Good.

People were unable to tell us about the service because of their complex needs. Relatives told us the service was safe and provided good support for people. Staff said and records confirmed, they were well trained in safeguarding adults and were confident that any concerns would be dealt with by the organisation.

The registered manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions. Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people who stayed at the service. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care and support people required.

There were enough staff to care for the people they supported. Checks were carried out prior to staff starting work to reduce the risks of unsuitable staff working at the service. Staff received a comprehensive induction into the organisation, and a programme of training to support them in meeting people's needs effectively.

Medicines were managed and administered safely by staff who were appropriately trained and had their competencies checked.

Relatives told us staff were caring and had the right skills and experience to provide the care required. People were supported with dignity and respect and given choices in relation to how they spent their time. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible.

People continued to receive good care. People had developed positive relationships with staff who understood their individual routines and preferences, and knew what was important to them. Staff were caring and treated people with respect, kindness and dignity.

Care plans contained information for staff to help them provide personalised care and reflected people's care needs. People and families were involved in reviews of the care provided with staff and other professionals involved in supporting people.

People were supported to eat and drink well and to access healthcare services when required. We observed regular snacks and drinks were provided between meals to ensure people received adequate nutrition and hydration.

The provider had a system in place to ensure that complaints were recorded and responded to in a timely manner. The registered manager conducted a range of audits to ensure an effective monitoring of the quality and safety of the services. Relatives and staff had regular meetings where they had the opportunity to voice their opinions and have a say in how the service was run.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

This was an unannounced inspection. Our last inspection took place in September 2013 when we found the service to be meeting standards relating to consent to care and treatment, care and welfare of people who use services, safety and suitability of equipment, requirements relating to workers, complaints and records.

Woodview Care Home provides accommodation and nursing or personal care to eight people with learning disabilities.

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 and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Relatives felt their family members were safe and their welfare was protected. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and keep people safe. Conversations with staff and the registered manager demonstrated that they were aware of local safeguarding procedures and had the necessary knowledge to ensure that people were safeguarded from abuse. An effective recruitment procedure was in place to minimise the risk of abuse.

Woodview Care Home protected people’s rights and ensured wherever possible people were involved in making decisions. People were involved in a range of day to day decisions and we noted that the staff adapted their communication to meet the needs of the person they were supporting. Staff and the registered manager were up to date with current guidance to support people to make decisions. Any restrictions placed up on people were made in people’s best interest using appropriate safeguards.

Staff were positive about the range of training courses they received and the further training courses they were encouraged to undertake in order to provide effective care. Staff received regular supervision and an annual appraisal. Supervisions ensure that staff receive regular support and guidance and appraisals enable staff to discuss any personal and professional development needs.

Relatives were positive about the way in which the home supported their family members’ healthcare needs. They told us they were involved in review meetings where healthcare needs were discussed and were kept up to date about any appointments about, or changes to people’s healthcare needs. A visiting GP confirmed that the home effectively met and responded to any changes in people’s healthcare needs.

People were offered varied, balanced and nutritional meals. Staff had received training about how to meet people’s nutritional needs and were able to explain how they safely assisted people to eat and drink. Our lunchtime observation confirmed that people received appropriate nutrition and assistance to eat and drink.

We observed staff interacting with people in a sensitive, patient and understanding professional manner. Staff had a clear understanding of how people expressed their needs and made decisions. They responded in a caring and patient way. A number of accessible documents and tools were in place to support people to make decisions and inform them about the service. Observations throughout our inspection demonstrated that the staff at Woodview Care Home had a clear knowledge of the importance of dignity and respect and were able to put his into practice when supporting people.

Throughout our inspection we saw that staff responded to people’s needs and the way in which they communicated discomfort or unhappiness in a timely way. People’s support plans contained comprehensive, person centred information about people’s individual health and support needs and preferences. Woodview Care Home were proactive in providing and finding activities to meet people’s differing needs and preferences. A wide range of group and individual activities were provided.

Relatives spoken with during our inspection visit told us they had no complaints with the service. People were supported to maintain contact with their relatives and we saw that the home had embraced the use of technology to support this. Relatives told us that they were able to visit at any time and felt welcomed.

Relatives, people visiting the home during our inspection and staff were positive about the registered manager and the way in which she led the service. One member of staff commented that the registered manager “Has high standards. She leads by example”. Comments from relatives about the manger were also positive. They told us that the registered manager was always around, always approachable and proactive in trying to make the service as good as possible.

A system was in place to continually audit the quality of care provided at Woodview Care Home. We saw that this incorporated a range of weekly and monthly audits relating to all areas of the service.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people living at Woodview Care Home.This was because people living at the home were unable to verbally communicate their experiences to us. We spent time with people in the lounge and dining area. Our observations enabled us to see how staff interacted with people and to see how care was provided. We used verbal communication and Makaton to communicate with one person. Makaton is a recognised system of communication that uses signs and symbols to help people communicate. We also gained information by telephoning the family members of two people, speaking with the registered manager and three members of staff and reviewing a range of records.

We found that staff knew people's individual ways of communicating and were aware of how to support people to make decisions. We saw that care plans contained clear information about the support people needed to help them make decisions.

One relative described the home as, “absolutely fantastic.” We saw that the direct care provided was safe, appropriate and took people’s individual needs into account. People benefited from equipment that was used safely and met their needs.

We found that effective processes were in place to ensure that people were cared for by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff and to investigate complaints. Staff records and records of people’s health and social care needs were up to date and stored securely.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people living at Woodview. This was because most of the people using the service had complex needs and were unable to verbally communicate their experiences to us. During our inspection we sat and spent time with people in the lounge and dining area of the home. This enabled us to observe people’s mood, and how they interacted with staff members, other people who used the service, and the environment.

We used verbal communication and Makaton to communicate with one person who used the service. Makaton is a recognised system of communication that uses signs and symbols to help people communicate.

This person proudly showed us pictures of their school prom. Staff at Woodview had supported them to choose and purchase a prom dress and to have their make-up and hair done. The home had also hired a limousine to take them to the prom. We also spoke with this person about their recent holiday abroad. Using Makaton, they told us that they had been involved in choosing the destination and also chose what to do, eat and drink when on holiday. This demonstrated that people were offered choices and involved in decisions about their support.

Throughout our observations we saw that all the staff at Woodview treated people with dignity and respect. We saw that staff clearly knew people and their individual likes and ways of communicating. Staff spent one-to-one time talking to people, offering choices and engaging and encouraging people to participate in activities. People responded positively to the person centred approach of staff and demonstrated this by their positive body language, smiles and laughter.

One relative telephoned called Woodview during our inspection. We spoke with them in order to gain their views of the service. They were extremely positive about Woodview and told us that the support offered had ensured that their family member, “was involved in as many different life experiences as possible.” The same relative told us that they had contributed to their family members care plan, and that observations or recommendations they had made subsequent to this were always included. This relative also described the staff at Woodview as, “fantastic”, and told us that the manager and staff at the home knew their family member well and looked after them, “like family.”