21 Mill Lane

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. Staff worked well with the providers positive behaviour support (PBS) team to ensure people received the right level of support to manage signs of distress and or frustration. Staff knew people well and were quick to notice changes in their behaviour and take swift action to provide the appropriate care and support to diffuse incidents quickly.

People were supported by a consistent staff team, who showed a genuine interest in their well-being and quality of life. They were kind, caring and nurturing and as a result we saw people were at ease, happy, engaged and stimulated.

People were supported to access healthcare services to promote their wellbeing and help them to live healthy lives. People received support to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet and were involved in choosing their meals to meet their cultural and dietary needs.

Right Care: People's care plans were personalised, covering all aspects of their current and longer-term needs. Staff spoke knowledgably about tailoring support for people to meet their individual needs, goals and aspirations and how these could be achieved. People's positive behaviour support (PBS) plans had been developed in conjunction with staff and the providers PBS team to ensure staff know how best to support each person. Staff had been provided with training tailored to meet the specific needs of people using the service in line

with recognised models of care for people with a learning disability or autistic people. This ensured people were receiving person-centred care which promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights.

The service had enough staff to keep people safe and to enable them to take part in leisure and social activities, when they wanted. The numbers and skills of staff matched the needs of people using the service. Systems were in place to safely recruit new staff.

Staff understood people's individual communication styles and we saw they had developed a good rapport with them. People were supported to develop and maintain relationships, follow interests and take part in hobbies and activities that were socially and culturally relevant to them.

Systems were in place to ensure people's medicines and infection; prevention and control measures were managed safely. People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff knew them well and understood how to protect them from abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse. The manager worked well with other agencies to safeguard people. Investigations into incidents had been used as an opportunity to learn lessons, change practice and drive improvement.

Right Culture: The provider had recognised people were at higher risk of the service developing a closed culture where they were highly dependent on staff to meet their basic needs. A new manager had been recruited and had been in post for 5 months. They had worked hard to instil a transparent, open and honest culture between people, those important to them, staff and managers. The manager was visible in the service, approachable and took a genuine interest in what people, staff, family and other professionals had to say. They worked directly with staff and led by example. Staff were motivated and had confidence in the manager.

Staff were aware of the company values to provide passionate, kind and resilient care. The attitudes and behaviours of the manager and staff ensured people received person centred care which sought to protect and promote their rights. Staff understood their role in making sure people were always put first.

The service had effective governance arrangements in place to assess the quality and safety of the service. These were used to identify and drive improvement. Concerns and complaints were taken seriously, investigated and the outcomes used to improve the service.