Education and Services for People with Autism Limited - 8-8a The Cedars

8-8a The Cedars is a residential care home for 10 people with learning disabilities and / or autism. There were seven people receiving care at the time of this inspection aged from early 20's to 60 years of age. There are two buildings making up the premises, people with a range of needs live in the main building and people with more complex needs live in 'The Coach House'. Bedrooms in the main building are decorated and furnished as flats, with two self-contained flats within The Coach House.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The care service had adopted the principles and values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. Some people with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. For others there were some limitations to this due to their complex care and support needs.

Staff had received relevant training and the provider employed robust recruitment procedures to keep people using the service safe. Staffing levels were appropriate and reflected people's needs with risks appropriately assessed, monitored and mitigated. Medication was safely managed in line with relevant guidelines and were being consistently reviewed to improve administration practices. Premises were safe, clean and tidy and infection control procedures were in place to minimise risk.

Care and support needs were appropriately assessed to ensure that people's ongoing needs and required outcomes were captured. Staff had received appropriate training to deliver effective care and support and this was monitored and managed by the registered manager and the provider central function. People had access to various healthcare professionals and this was well managed with information routinely shared across organisations. The service supported people to maintain healthy lifestyles and this included specific exercise plans and good nutrition and hydration. People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Premises were adequately adapted and designed to meet the specific needs of people who lived at the home.

There was a strong staff group who understood people's needs. Staff had developed positive relationships with people and there was a relaxed and happy environment throughout the home. Staff used a variety of resources to ensure that people were involved in decisions about their care and support which included signing and visual aids. Staff protected people's privacy, dignity and respect by affording people their own space, holding confidential discussions in private areas of the home and being unobtrusive in their presence.

The staff team adopted a person centred care approach when setting goals and outcomes with people who lived at the home. Goals were focused on what the individual wanted to achieve as opposed to what others wanted the individual to achieve. This included proactive planning in respect of end of life care which focused on ensuring this type of care would be positive and based on the wishes of the person and where appropriate their relatives. The provider had an appropriate complaints, compliments and concerns policy in place which was accessible to people.

There were robust and effective quality monitoring processes in place. The registered manager promoted a strong culture of openness within the service based on the values of the organisation. Staff told us they felt the registered manager was very supportive. There were a number of ongoing initiatives within the service which the registered manager was involved in setting up, and developing across the provider following input from various other organisations.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found