76 Canute Road

People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (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 using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

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.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 11 December 2018 and was announced. The service 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 registered manager was also the manager of four other homes locally.

People's needs were effectively met because staff had the specialist training and skills they needed to meet people's complex needs. Staff attended regular supervision meetings and received an annual appraisal of their performance. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible. People were encouraged to make decisions and choices. They 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 had a very good understanding of the care and support needs of people and had developed positive relationships with them. People were supported to attend health appointments, such as the GP or dentist and where appropriate professionals visited them at Canute Road. People had enough to eat and drink and menus were varied and well balanced.

People were observed to be relaxed and content in their surroundings and there was warm and friendly atmosphere in the home. People were supported to take part in a variety of activities to meet their individual needs and wishes. This included trampolining, aromatherapy, art sessions, walks, gym, bowling, computer time, visits to local restaurants, cinema, theatres and shops.

There were enough staff who had been appropriately recruited, to meet people's individual needs. Staff knew people well and had a good understanding of the actions to take to mitigate risks and provide a safe environment for people to live. Staff understood what they needed to do to protect people from the risk of abuse. Incidents and accidents were well managed and lessons were learned to pre-empt and avoid similar occurrences. People's medicines were managed safely.

The provider visited Canute Road regularly and had effective systems to monitor the management and quality of the home. The registered manager ensured a range of audits were carried out to monitor the care and support provided. The registered manager had very strong links with local organisations to gain advice and support that would benefit the organisation and to provide support for other services for people with learning disabilities.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found