This inspection was announced and took place on the 14, 16 and 20 December 2016.

Care Opportunities Supported Living provides care and support for individuals with learning and physical disabilities living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 12 people.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff and the management team had an excellent understanding of managing risks and were supporting people to reach their full potential. Staff and the management also helped people to overcome difficulties resulting from people’s past experience and anxieties. People felt safe in the service and staff had a very clear understanding of their responsibilities in relation to abuse. The provider's whistleblowing policy protected staff to make disclosures about poor staff conduct or practice, and staff confirmed the manager would take responsive action if they reported such problems.

People had their medicines managed safely, and received their medicines in a way they chose and as prescribed.

The provider had effective recruitment and selection procedures in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff to help ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

People’s rights were recognised, respected and promoted. Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and we saw people’s consent was sought routinely. Staff were knowledgeable about the rights of people to make their own choices. This was reflected in the way the care plans were written and the way in which staff supported and encouraged people to make decisions when delivering care and support.

The provider and the registered manager were highly committed to encouraging staff to participate in training to develop their skills. Staff were provided with a range of training opportunities. The registered manager used creative, proactive and innovative ways of enhancing the skills of staff. This enabled staff to apply their learning in their practice. Knowledge tests were created with respect to people’s support needs and used to consistently check the staff members’ knowledge. This helped to ensure staff delivered, personalised, quality care.

Staff told us they felt supported by the management and received supervision and appraisals, which helped to identify their training and development needs.

People's health and well-being needs were monitored. The registered manager and staff responded promptly to any concerns in relation to people's health and were knowledgeable about people's medical history. Staff always accompanied people to hospital appointments and visited them in hospital. People were supported to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. Clear, easy-to-read plans were designed to help people manage health conditions that needed monitoring. Health and social care professionals were involved in people's support when needed and their advice was included in the care provided. Staff worked together with community professionals to prepare people for health care checks.

The interactions we observed between people and staff were positive. We heard and saw people laughing and smiling. People looked comfortable, relaxed and happy in their home and in the company of other people they lived with.

The difference the service was making to people's lives was apparent. Some of the people had previously displayed anxious behaviour or had been emotionally disturbed which had led to restrictive lifestyles. However, the service now supported them in a more positive way. People needed consistent support to make them feel secure and understood, to manage their behaviours an

At the time of our inspection the provider had two properties shared by four and two people respectively. We were invited into the house shared by four tenants. We met with two of the people living in the house, they invited us in and showed us their rooms. They told us they liked living in the house. They said they got on well with the other people living in the house and the staff.

People told us that they made choices about their daily activities and their menu choices. One person said they chose what they would like to eat, went shopping and then cooked it with some help from staff. Staff we spoke with told us how much they enjoyed working with the people living in the houses.

There were processes in place to ensure the safe ordering, storage, handling and administration of medication.

The recruitment process ensured that people were cared for by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

There was a complaints procedure which was available to people in a format that met their needs. One person we spoke with told us what they would do if they weren’t happy. People were offered daily opportunities to talk with staff about any concerns. There were also monthly meetings so people could discuss concerns with other tenants and staff.

Care Opportunities supports people living in shared homes. On this occasion we were not able to visit the homes due to the recent increased anxiety level of one of the residents. We did however speak with a member of staff working in the homes and two office based staff. They told us that they had a good relationship with the people living in the homes and that all people were involved in making decisions about what took place.

We saw a recent annual review and the relative of one of the people had expressed that they were very happy with the care and support their relative had received. They had said “she seems very settled and happier than she has ever been before”.

People were involved in writing their support plan and all decisions that were made about the home they lived in. There were regularly reviewed risk assessments in place which ensured that care and support was consistent and ensured the safety and welfare of the people using the service.

The provider regularly assessed the service they provided and kept a clear audit record.