Southdown Housing Association - 52 Mill Lane

52 Mill Lane is a 'care home'. 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 home had a registered manager. 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.

The last inspection on 21 August 2017 identified four breaches of regulations and rated the service as requires improvement. We asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do, and by when, to make improvements. At this inspection on 15 November 2018, we found that staff had followed the action plan and the overall rating for the service had improved to Good.

People were living with a range of complex needs. Risks to people had been identified, assessed and managed. Care plans were comprehensive and provided clear guidance which was being followed by staff to keep people safe. There were enough staff with suitable skills and experience.

Staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding people from abuse. People were receiving their medicines safely. The home was clean and staff protected people by the prevention and control of infection. Monitoring of incidents and accidents ensured that lessons were learned and improvements were made when things went wrong.

Staff received the training and support they needed to care for people. They understood their responsibilities to gain people's consent for care and treatment. People were 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 supported this practice.

People were receiving the support they needed to have enough to eat and drink. Staff ensured that people had access to the health care services they needed. The home had adaptations that supported people's independence and met their individual needs. The home 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 using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

People were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff were kind and caring and respected people's dignity and privacy. A relative told us, "The staff are very good. They create a great atmosphere at the place, people are happy there."

People were supported to be involved in decisions about their care and support. Staff were effective in supporting people with their communication needs.

People were receiving a personalised service and staff were focussed on enriching people's quality of life. People were leading full and active lives according to their interests and preferences.

Staff were responsive when people's needs changed and reviewed risk assessments and care plans regularly. Staff were responsive to complaints and feedback.

Management systems and processes were robust and improvements had been made to meet all breaches of regulation that were identified at the last inspection on 21 August 2017. The registered manager provided clear leadership and staff spoke highly of the management of the home. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and described positive working relationships and good communication both internally and with external agencies.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found