This inspection took place on 6 July 2017 and was unannounced. Bassett House is a care home that provides accommodation for up to five adults with a learning disability. There were five people living at the home when we visited. The home is based on two floors. The second floor was accessible via stairs. There were communal rooms and a garden which people could access. All rooms were single occupancy.

There was a registered manager at the home. 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 provider notified CQC about significant events that happened in the care home and had acted in line with regulatory requirements. People’s relatives and staff told us that the registered manager was effective in their role and had a positive relationship with people living at the service.

People’s relatives told us that Bassett House provided individualised care for their family members. Staff used a range of different communication aids and strategies that were bespoke to people, which encouraged them to make choices about their everyday lives and activities, and communicate their needs. The service had a focus on working with people to develop their independent skills. This was both domestically and socially and was planned in conjunction with people and their families.

People’s care plans were detailed and contained information which helped staff to keep people safe. People’s privacy and dignity were clearly considered and documented and staff understood the steps required to follow this guidance. There were policies and procedures in place to ensure that people’s rights and freedoms were respected and staff understood the need to gain consent before providing care.

There were sufficient numbers of staff in place to meet people’s needs. Staffing was a mixture between permanent and agency staff. The service was in the process of recruiting more permanent staff at the time of inspection. Both permanent and agency staff had undergone robust recruitment checks to help ensure they were appropriately skilled and of good character.

Staff received a training programme which was suitable for their role. They also received a structured induction when they started working with people, which helped them understand people and their role. The registered manager monitored staff’s working practice and behaviours through observation, supervision and team meetings. People’s families spoke positively about the standard of care provided by staff to their relatives.

There were systems in place to manage people’s medicines including detailed guidance for staff to follow if people required medicines for anxiety. This led to a reduction in the need for people to take these medicines. The provider had a process to analyse the causes of incidents which occurred, this had resulted in a reduction of anxiety related incidents for some people living at the home.

The registered manager was responsive in putting in place processes to improve their system to monitor the temperature of medicines storage areas, after it was identified during inspection that improvements could be made.

There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager and senior managers had oversight of these audits and areas where the service needed further development were formulated into an action plan and shared with staff.

People had access to healthcare services when required. Staff had worked with people creatively to ensure they were prepared for health appointments, which reduced their anxieties around these events. People were given choices around their diet and were encouraged to participate in the selection and preparation of