The inspection was carried out on 05 September 2018 and was unannounced. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to five people who have complex needs and learning disabilities.

Berrywood is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one CQC contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. Staff discussed with people the care and support they received and obtained their consent.

People felt safe and were happy with the support they received. People had well developed care plans and staff supported them effectively to live an active life.

Staff were trained and their competency to deliver care and support people was observed by the registered manager. People and relatives were very positive about the service they received.

There were enough staff safely employed to meet people`s needs in a personalised way.

People`s dignity and privacy was promoted and respected by staff. Staff enabled people to maintain and develop relationships and stay safe.

People had a well-developed activity schedule and staff supported them to enjoy activities in the home and in the community.

The provider`s governance systems and processes were well developed and used by the registered manager to constantly monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

The inspection was carried out on 17 November 2015 and was unannounced. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to five people who have complex needs and learning disabilities.

There was a manager in post who had 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.

The service provided care and support to people to enable them to live active and meaningful lives. Staff were skilled in delivering support in a non-intrusive way and enabled people to be more independent. People were encouraged to do things they enjoyed and staff help them stay safe. People and relatives were very positive about the service they received.

There was enough staff to meet people’s needs and to ensure they were able to access activities and be part of their local community. The provider operated safe and robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure staff was able and suitable to work at the home.

Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity. All interactions between staff and people were caring and respectful, with staff being consistently kind and adapting to people`s needs and abilities. The registered manager ensured that staff had a full understanding of people’s support needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. Training records were up to date and staff received regular supervisions and appraisals.

We checked whether the service was working in line with the principles of The Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA). We found that people had their mental capacity assessed and if they lacked capacity the manager had submitted Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications to the Local Authority. Staff had received training in Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to make sure they understood how to protect people’s rights. People were asked for their consent before staff carried out any care or treatment. CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The registered manager, provider and staff ensured that people were supported in ways that did not restrict their freedom and were looked after appropriately.

People had full, varied and personalised activity programmes. These were designed to provide a variety of familiar and new experiences for people so they developed new interests and abilities. People were encouraged and supported to engage with their local community, day centre, library and other leisure activities.

We found that people living at Berrywood were happy and well supported. One person told us, “I like going to work”. Another said, “My family visits often”. Relatives we talked with also spoke positively. One relative told us, “Berrywood works very well. Staff work closely together. We have no concerns”.

Care plans we reviewed were person centred and up to date. People had signed the plans to confirm they had been involved. We also found that people were asked for consent and were supported to make decisions about their care.

We reviewed a wide variety of other records during our inspection. Overall, we found they were accurate, accessible and securely held. The manager told us about improvements that were being made to ensure records were signed in a consistent way by staff.

We saw that a number of different systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided. A new system for capturing incidents, complaints and compliments had recently been introduced. Staff told us it was working well.

We spoke with two people who used the service. People told us they were consulted and involved in making decisions. They said staff respected their privacy and dignity by ensuring personal care was provided in the privacy of their bedrooms or bathroom. People said they were happy with the care and support they were receiving. One person said, “I am well looked after.” A second person said, “Staff take us shopping and swimming every week. We also go out for coffees and to the pub.”

We found that the home enabled people to make decisions about their care and treatment. People’s needs were assessed to ensure they received the appropriate care and treatment. The home had arrangements in place to make sure people’s medicines were administered safely. There was an effective recruitment process in place. People’s personal records and staff records were appropriately maintained and could be located promptly.