We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which looks at the overall quality of the service.

Andelain provides accommodation and personal care for up to seven people with learning disabilities. On the day of the inspection, four people were living at the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People, their relatives and health care professionals all spoke highly about the care and support Andelain provided, one person said; “I love living here, I’m so happy.” A relative told us; “I can’t speak highly enough of the place.” A senior community officer commented; “They provide a friendly, genuine approach to care.”

People appeared relaxed on the day of our inspection, there was a happy and friendly atmosphere. People had the freedom to move around as they chose. Staff assisted people as they needed but promoted and encouraged independence.

Care records were of a good standard and contained detailed information about how people wished to be supported. People’s risks were well managed, monitored and regularly reviewed to help keep people safe. People were supported to have choice and control over their lives. People were able to take part in a varied range of activities in the home and out in the community. These reflected their interests and hobbies.

Staff displayed a compassionate caring attitude towards people. People’s preferred method of communication was taken into account and respected. Staff had developed strong relationships with people and people were supported to maintain relationships with those who matter to them. Staff were well supported through induction and on-going training, which was provided to improve their skills and continue their professional development.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place that monitored people’s satisfaction with the service. This was used to help make improvements and ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the home.

There were five people who use the service on the day of our visit; three people went out, one person did not want to speak with us. We spoke with one person who said “I like everything”, “I’m happy” and “staff are alright”. Staff we spoke with said “it’s the whole ethos I like; it’s person centred and homely” and that they enjoyed “supporting people to be as independent as possible”. We saw two day diaries and there was evidence that people's right to consent was recognised and that choices were provided. One person we spoke with said they had “good choices” and “I like doing things in my bedroom”.

A variety of activities were available for people to participate in, including cooking, gardening, pottery, art and craft and others. People were able to visit a local day care centre and had individual timetables prepared in an easy read format.

We observed that the premises were clean and odour free during our inspection. Appropriate gloves and aprons were available for staff to use and staff we spoke with said these were always available.

There was evidence that the views of health care professional staff and families were obtained annually via questionnaires. We saw that there were many positive comments on the surveys, including “manager and staff very caring”, “homely and friendly atmosphere”, “the residents are all treated as family” and “caring attitude”.

People living at Andelain had learning disabilities. Some of the people living there also had conditions associated with older age, for example dementia. We visited the home twice over two days.We returned on the second day to spend more time with the people living there. On our visits we spoke with the people living at the home, people working there and the owner.

People were involved in making decisions about their care. We found that people's healthcare needs were being assessed and supported well. We found that the home's staff and management understood people's needs, including communication needs where this was impaired. We found that they understood people's rights and supported them

Staff treated people with respect and were friendly and patient. Andelain had a warm, relaxed atmosphere. People were supported to be independent, for example, in completing household tasks. People took part in activities in their community.

Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. People at the home looked happy and relaxed in the company of staff.

There were appropriate levels of staff on duty to meet people's needs.

Staff training, and annual appraisals were linked to ensuring that staff had the skills to meet people’s needs.

Quality monitoring systems were in place. Regular group meetings were held to obtain feedback from people using the service. We saw that feedback was acted upon, for example in relation to where people wanted to go on holiday.