We carried out an announced inspection of 4 Shanter Close on 13 and 14 October 2016. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of our intention to carry out the inspection. This was because the location is a small service and we needed to be sure someone would be present in the office to participate in the inspection.

4 Shanter Close is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in the community. The service specialised in providing flexible support to people with learning disabilities and autism who were living in two houses in Halifax. At the time of the inspection nine people were using the service.

At the time of our inspection visit the service was not being managed by a registered manager. The previous registered manager notified us of this change two weeks prior to our visit. 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. There was an acting manager in charge of the service; the acting manager had forwarded an application to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We last inspected the service on 24 January 2014 and found it was it was meeting all legal requirements.

All people spoken with told us staff were kind to them. People and their relatives indicated that they were very happy with the care and support provided and consistently described staff as going above and beyond their duty of care. People’s relatives told us the management and staff were extremely approachable, patient, available and willing to listen.

People were encouraged and supported to remain as independent as possible. Detailed and thorough risk assessments had been carried out to ensure their safety whilst enabling them to maintain their independence and lead interesting and fulfilled lives. We saw examples where photographs had been taken of actual equipment to help people and staff understand the risks involved in specific activities such as moving people.

The manager and staff had a high level of understanding of the need to make sure people were safe and were clear about what to do if they witnessed or suspected any abuse. We saw concerns had been reported promptly and appropriately. The recruitment process was robust and people were given the opportunity to be involved where possible.

There were always sufficient numbers of staff to ensure people’s individual needs and wishes were fully met. Staffing arrangements were flexible and people could accrue staff time to enable a member of staff to accompany them on specific events. People were supported by a consistent team of support staff. Staff told us they had sufficient time to support people on outings, holidays and activities and also time to support people who chose to stay at home.

Staff were creative in the way they communicated with people and used different methods such as scrapbooks, photo boards, picture planning, key words and iPads. This ensured people could express their views and were consulted about decisions and choices. It also helped staff to understand and respond appropriately if people were sad, happy or in pain.

There were safe arrangements in place to support people with their medication. We found good examples of how people’s health needs were pro-actively met and any changes in health were managed well. The service had good links with other agencies to ensure people received consistent, prompt and appropriate care and support.

Staff received a wide range of relevant and up to date training and induction and they told us the management team were always available for support and advice. They were motivated and passionate about providing exceptional care and support and achieving the best possible outcomes for people. Staff were very positive about

We found that people’s needs were assessed and that people who used the service and other health and social care professionals were involved in planning how care was delivered. We saw that support was provided in a friendly, calm and warm manner and the people we saw, who received a service, appeared relaxed. We received positive comments about the service from the people we spoke with. One person who used the service told us “I want to stay here for good”.

We saw that there was a safeguarding policy in place and staff showed a clear understanding of safeguarding issues and how to take action if they were concerned. We also saw that there was a complaints policy in place. A person we spoke with who used the service told us they felt comfortable enough to discuss any concerns that they had with staff.

We saw that the Provider had robust recruitment procedures in place. The staff we spoke with told us they had received training and felt supported in their work.

We saw that there were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Opportunities were provided to the people who used the service, staff and health and social care professionals to provide feedback on the service provided. We spoke with a Local Authority commissioning team and a social care professional, who made positive comments about the staff and service provided.