This inspection was carried out on 25 April 2017 and was unannounced. At their last inspection on 14 January 2015, they were found to be meeting the standards we inspected. At this inspection we found that they continued to meet all the required standards.

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Beau Sejour care home provides accommodation and personal care for up to ten people with learning disabilities, and or physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were ten people residing at the home.

The service had a manager who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were protected from harm and staff were able to demonstrate they were aware of the risks of abuse and how to report or elevate concerns. We found that there was a robust recruitment process in place. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s individual care and support needs at all times. There were suitable arrangements in place for the safe storage and administration of medicines.

People were asked for their consent and staff were aware of MCA principles and where people lacked capacity to make decisions, consent had been obtained in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.

People were supported to maintain their health and well-being and had access to a range of healthcare professionals such as GP’s, district nurses, and dentists. People were also supported to attend hospital appointments when required. People were given choices of what food and drinks they wanted and were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet.

The environment was 'homely' and we observed that staff treated people kindly and in a way which respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff demonstrated that they knew people well and met their needs in a personalised way. Relatives were extremely complimentary about the care and support provided.

People were encouraged and supported to participate in a wide range of meaningful and suitable activities which took into account peoples individual abilities and interests. People also attended a range of community based events. Staff and relatives of people who used the service told us they were always consulted and involved in developing all aspects of the service, as well as how the home was run. Relatives told us they felt 'listened to' by the management team. People were central to everything that was in place and the home and the management team valued peoples input and was very focused on putting people first. There were systems and processes in place to monitor the overall quality of the service.

The management team were open and transparent about all aspects of the service and demonstrated a clear vision for the service and people who used the service. Staff felt valued and motivated. People were empowered to make decisions about their lives and staff supported them to challenge themselves, by not letting their disabilities prevent them from living full and active lives.

This inspection took place on 14 January 2015 by one inspector and was unannounced. The service had met the required standards at their last inspection on 18 October 2013.

Beau Sejour care home provides accommodation and personal care for up to ten people with learning disabilities who may also have physical disabilities or a sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection ten people lived at the home. There was a registered manager in post. 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 protected from abuse and felt safe at the home. Staff were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and how to report concerns. There were sufficient staff members available to meet people’s individual care and support needs. We found that safe and effective recruitment practices were followed and that people’s views were central to the selection of new staff members.

There were suitable arrangements for the safe storage, management and disposal of medicines. We found that, where people lacked capacity to make their own decisions, consent had been obtained in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves or others. At the time of our inspection applications had been made to the local authority in relation to people who lived at Beau Sejour.

People had access to healthcare professionals such as GP’s and mental health specialists when needed. A range of health professionals gave us positive feedback about the care and support provided for people. We found that people received appropriate levels of support to maintain a healthy balanced diet and were supported by a staff team who had the necessary skills to provide safe and effective care. People were happy in their home and that staff treated them with warmth, dignity and respect. Relatives were also positive about the care and support provided. We saw that staff knew people well and met their needs in an individual and caring way.

People’s needs were met and they were supported to take part in a wide range of meaningful activities catered to their individual needs and wishes, both at the home and in the local community. People who lived at the home and staff had been actively involved in developing all aspects of the service and how the home was run. Relatives confirmed to us that they, and the people who used the service, were encouraged and supported to have their say and were positive about the leadership provided by the manager. We saw that a system of audits, surveys and reviews were used to good effect in monitoring performance and managing risks.

The manager and provider demonstrated a clear vision and operated a set of values based on person centred care, independence and empowerment. These were central to the care provided and were clearly understood and put into practice by staff for the benefit of everyone who used the service.

We found that people who lived at Beau Sejour were well cared for and appeared happy and contented in their home environment. We also observed people getting ready to go by minibus to their daily activities. Other people were being supported to go off and do other planned activities, including a trip to London. Some people who lived at Beau Sejour did not have verbal communication, and we were unable to speak to people during our visit.

We observed that people were given packed lunches to take with them and communication books that were used as a means to facilitate effective communication with the staff at the day centre.

We noted that people had “personalised bedrooms” and staff that we spoke to knew people’s likes and dislikes and were able to talk in detail about how they were supported.

People were involved in menu planning and individual nutritional requirements were taken into account.

People’s consent had been obtained for all aspects of the care and support people received. The home was kept in a good state of repair. People’s opinions and views were sought and considered as part of the quality monitoring process.

During our visit we saw all 10 people who live at the service and spoke with three of them. They told us that generally they were happy in the home. One person who felt able came to us to talk about the home, in their words, “For others. Some people here do not talk”. The person explained their admission process and stated that they chose this home because, “I knew almost all the people who live here. We met at a day centre many years ago.”

The other two people told us that they were listened to and could make their own decisions. We observed breakfast and saw how people indicated or chose what they liked to eat from the table. We observed how five people helped willingly by taking plates from the dining room to the kitchen.

We also observed people getting ready to go by minibus to their daily activities. They carried their packed lunches with them and communication books that were used by the staff from the home to communicate with the staff at the day centre. One person without verbal abilities indicated to the staff that they wanted them to read them their notes from the communication book and a staff member did so.

A person who insisted on speaking with us stated that they felt safe and protected. We saw this person talking to their mum on the phone, free and without hesitation, explaining their plan for the day and praising the breakfast that they had just eaten.

One person indicated to the staff that they felt hot and a staff member took them to the room where air-conditioning was used to maintain a pleasant temperature.

Everything people said to us and which we observed demonstrated that people had choice, could communicate effectively with staff despite the lack of verbal communication abilities, that staff listened to them and fully respected them.