We inspected this service on 5 December 2017 and the inspection was unannounced and undertaken by one inspector. At our previous inspection in November 2015, the service was meeting the regulations that we checked and received an overall rating of Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

182 Ashby Road is a care home located in Burton on Trent and is registered to accommodate five people. At the time of our inspection five people were using the service.

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. The registered manager oversaw the running of the home and was supported by a deputy manager, senior support workers and support workers.

People continued to receive safe support. There were enough staff to support people and they understood their role in protecting people from the risk of harm. People were supported to understand how to keep safe and risks to people were identified and they were supported to take reasonable risks to promote independent living. Environmental risks within the home were managed well to ensure people’s safety was considered. People were supported to take medicines and records were kept which demonstrated this was done safely. Safe recruitment procedures were in place to ensure new staff were suitable to work with people. People were protected by the systems in place for the prevention and control of infection.

People continued to receive effective support. Staff had the skills to support people because they received support and training. 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. People were involved in the assessment and reviews of their care; which enabled them make decisions about how they wanted to receive support in their preferred way. People were encouraged to eat a balanced diet that met their preferences and assessed needs and were supported to access healthcare services. People received coordinated support that met their needs and preferences because the registered manager worked with other organisations and healthcare professionals to achieve this.

People continued to receive caring support. There was a good relationship between people and the staff who knew them well and promoted their independence and autonomy. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and upheld by the staff team and people were supported to maintain relationships with those who were important to them.

People continued to receive responsive support. People were supported develop and maintain interests and be part of the local community to promote equality and integration. The registered manager actively sought and included people and their representatives in the planning of care. There were processes in place for people to raise any complaints and express their views and opinions about the service provided.

People continued to receive well led support. A positive culture was in place that promoted good outcomes for people. People were involved in developing the service; which promoted an open and inclusive culture. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and were empowered by registered manager to develop their skills. The registered manager and provider understood their legal responsibilities and kept up to date with relevant changes. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.

We inspected 182 Ashby Rd on 11 November 2015 and it was an unannounced inspection. This was the first inspection since changing to a new provider. The home provides accommodation and support for five people with learning disabilities. The home had a registered manager in place. 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 kept safe by staff who understood their responsibilities to protect people with learning disabilities. People were able to tell us what actions they took to keep themselves safe and how they were supported to do that. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to protect people and knew how to report any concerns that they had.

We saw that there were enough staff working at the home to support people to develop skills and pursue their interests and hobbies. Staffing levels were adapted to meet individual need and to support people safely. Recruitment procedures were followed which ensured that staff were safe to work with people.

People told us that the staff were well trained and helped them with anything they needed. New staff had received an induction which included being mentored by experienced people until they felt confident to work alone. Staff received training which they felt helped them to improve the support that they gave to people. They also received supervision and training to continue to develop their skills. The staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and people told us that staff asked for their consent. The staff team were aware of the principles of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and when this should be applied to protect people’s human rights.

We observed that staff were respectful and caring to the people that they supported. People were central to decisions about their care. They were involved in all plans and their preferences were known by all staff and clearly recorded. People made choices about how they lived their lives. They planned their own meals and were supported to eat healthily. Their privacy was respected at all times and staff asked people for their consent before they gave them any support.

People told us that they made plans with staff to make sure that they were able to do the things they wanted to do. They pursued leisure, education and social interests. Family and people who were important to them were included in their lives and formed part of their annual review. They were asked for their feedback on the support that they received weekly through one to one meetings. People completed an annual survey and the registered manager ensured that changes were made as a consequence of this feedback.

Staff supported people to live healthy lifestyles. They attended health appointments regularly. They were confident that if they had any problems staff would support them to see a health professional promptly. People were supported to understand their health conditions and how the medicines that they took helped to keep them well. Medicines were given to people safely and records were well maintained and managed.

People, staff and relatives told us that the registered manager was approachable and listened to people. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and to ensure that it was continually improved. People told us that if they were not happy they would know how to complain.