Hyde Park House

At our last inspection in August 2015 the service was rated as good overall with an outstanding rating for the key question of responsive. At this inspection we found the service had improved and we have rated it as outstanding in responsive and effective making the overall rating outstanding.

The provider is required to have a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like 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. We found there was a registered manager in post and throughout this report we will refer to them as 'the manager'.

The provider demonstrated how they had achieved outstanding practice, development and improvement at the service. The leadership team sought creative ways to provide a personalised service and had achieved excellent results through exploring best practice and professional support and implementing it to enhance people's lives.

The staff team were highly motivated and were actively involved in and contributed to the continuous improvements in care and support. The provider and manager were dedicated to providing individualised care that met the highest of standards and promoted people's independence and quality of life.

The manager demonstrated a strong and supportive leadership style, seeking feedback in order to further improve the care and support provided. The manager and staff team used innovative, but safe practices to develop people's life skills and promote positive behavioural support practices.

Communication with the service was excellent at all levels and encouraged mutual respect between staff and people who used the service. The service was recognised by a scheme which rewards quality in people management called Investors in People.

People received exceptionally effective care. The service worked with external health and social care professionals to provide person-centred, tailored packages of care that had a positive impact on outcomes for people who used the service.

There was a truly holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and support. Each person

who used the service had a personal development plan linked to their goals and aspirations.

There was a strong emphasis on eating and drinking well. People were given guidance and support to assist them in making healthy choices and were encouraged to learn how to prepare and cook simple and more complex meals. A particular strength within the service was the way people were supported to develop their numeracy and literacy skills to enable them to manage their money and go out shopping independently. The subsequent increase in daily living skills meant people were eventually able to move on to more independent supported living.

The atmosphere within the service was exceedingly friendly and open. A positive and innovative way of managing risk was discussed and developed with people who used the service. Their goals and ambitions were recognised and valued and people received excellent support to achieve their ambitions.

We found, without exception, that staff went the extra mile to ensure people were safe and happy within their lives. People were at the heart of the service, which was organised to suit their individual needs and aspirations. People's achievements were notable and people were justifiably proud of what they had done - their self confidence was high and people wanted to share with us what they had achieved.

People were supported by staff that were enthusiastic and keen to see them succeed in life. Staff were also caring, kind and compassionate with people, recognising them as individuals and treating them with respect and dignity.

The provider carried out robust recruitment checks, to ensure they employed suitable people. There were sufficient staff employed to meet people's needs and people's medicines were managed safely. Staff had completed relevant training. We found that they received regular supervision, which gave them the support necessary to fulfil their roles effectively.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found