70-72 Worting Road

70-72 Worting Road is a 'care home'. The service accommodated eight people in one adapted building. 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.

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 who used the service lived as ordinary a life as any citizen.

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 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. Staff understood and worked to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

Medicines were managed safely. Staff had training in medicines administration and were observed by the registered manager to assess their competence.

Recruitment was safe, as all necessary staff pre-employment checks had been completed. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people's individual needs. Staff were aware of the different types of abuse and the signs to look for. They were confident about how to report any concerns and told us the registered manager would take appropriate action.

People accessed their local community every day and had regular clubs, meetings and activities they engaged with and enjoyed. There was opportunity for people to go on holiday; recent destinations included North Wales and Corfu, both chosen by people living at the service.

People were involved in planning their own care and support. Where possible people had signed their own care plans and drawn pictures of their goals or drawn pictures of the support they wanted from staff. Care plans were reviewed regularly and up to date.

The environment was clean and kept in good repair. People were encouraged to take responsibility for daily living activity such as light domestic cleaning and laundry. People were involved in planning their own menus, shopping for food and preparing their meals. All the meals were prepared using fresh ingredients.

Team meetings were held regularly and minutes kept. Staff received supervision quarterly and had an annual appraisal of their performance. Staff had received training in a range of areas and told us they felt well supported.

People had the opportunity to gain local employment with support from staff, which promoted their independence. The provider had gathered feedback from people, relatives and staff. People living at the service also had the opportunity to attend house meetings where they could voice their views and concerns.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found