The Laurels

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. 'Right support, right care, right culture' is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People told us they 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. One person told us, "We do things for ourselves, the staff help if we need it." People were fully involved in the running of the service on a day-to-day basis and participated in household tasks, people had their own jobs around the house which they valued. Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome. Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.

Staff, people and their relatives cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.

Right Care: Care is person-centred and promotes people's dignity, privacy, and human rights. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. Staff understood and responded to people's individual needs. People told us they liked the staff and we observed both staff and people spoke to and about each other with genuine regard.

People's care, and support plans reflected their range of needs and promoted their individuality, wellbeing, and enjoyment of life. People could take part in activities of their choosing in the wider community and pursue their own interests. Some people had employment and voluntary work. Staff received training and support to provide care effectively.

Staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to maintain people's health and wellbeing.

People told us they felt safe with staff. Relatives had no concerns about the safety of people. There were policies and procedures regarding the safeguarding of adults and staff knew what action to take if they thought anyone was at risk of potential harm.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive, and empowered lives.

Staff placed people's wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. The stable management and staff team supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. We observed people receiving compassionate and empowering care which was tailored to their needs throughout the inspection.

Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families, and other professionals as appropriate. All the relatives we had contact with were complimentary and positive about the service and the care and support their loved ones received. One relative said, "They are really happy, I couldn't ask for more."