Ashcroft House - Bexhill-on-Sea

The building was situated over two floors. Bedrooms were spacious and there were communal areas for people to relax in. There was an accessible garden that we saw people using throughout the inspection.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People received safe care and support by staff who had been appropriately recruited, trained to recognise signs of abuse or risk and understood what to do to safely support people. People were supported to take positive risks, to ensure they had as much choice and control of their lives as possible. We observed medicines being given safely to people by trained and knowledgeable staff, who had been assessed as competent.

Staff were committed to delivering care in a person-centred way based on people's preferences and wishes. There was a stable staff team who were knowledgeable about the people they supported and had built trusting and meaningful relationships with them. Staff had all received training to meet people's specific needs. During induction, they got to know people and their needs well. One staff member said, "It's really lovely here, the people are so special and very individual." People's nutritional and health needs were consistently met with involvement from a variety of health and social care professionals. 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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Everyone we spoke to was consistent in their views that staff were kind, caring and supportive. One health professional described the service as, "Like a big family, the atmosphere is so positive, you hear lots of

laughter." People were relaxed, comfortable and happy in the company of staff and engaged in a positive way. People's independence was considered important by all staff and their privacy and dignity was also promoted.

Activities were tailor-made to people's preferences and interests. People were encouraged to go out and form relationships with members of the community. Staff knew people's communication needs well and we observed them using a variety of tools, such as sign language, pictures and objects of reference, to gain their views.

People were involved in their care planning. End of life care planning and documentation guided staff in providing care at this important stage of people's lives. End of life care was delivered professionally and with compassion.

People, their relatives and health care professionals had the opportunity to share their views about the service. Complaints made by people or their relatives were taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.

The provider used a range of quality assurance systems to check people and their relatives were satisfied and confident in the standard of care provided within the home. The service had systems to continuously monitor, assess and improve the service provided.