We inspected Cavendish Road on 12 and 16 October 2018. This was an unannounced inspection.

At the last inspection which took place on 11 March 2016, the service was rated 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.

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

Cavendish Road provides personal care without nursing for up to nine adults with a range of learning disabilities. It is in Balham, close to amenities and with good transport links. At the time of the inspection, there were eight people using the service.

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.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were only deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this was in their best interests, the provider sought legal authorisation to do so under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

People using the service appeared happy and content. Relatives told us that they were satisfied with how the staff treated their family members. They said that staff were approachable and let them know if there were any changes to their support needs. People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. They led active social lives and attended various day centres and amenities.

Each person had individual care records in place which staff used to provide appropriate support. Person-centred care plans included information for staff to provide support according to people’s individual taste and in a caring manner. They had support plans which promoted their independence.

Health action plans gave guidance on supporting people in relation to their health needs. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe manner.

Staff training was good, each staff member had an individual learning pathway which was monitored through supervision sessions. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s support needs.

There were robust quality assurance checks in place and good engagement with external professionals.

This inspection took place on 11 March 2016 and was unannounced. This service was previously registered under a different name; this was the first inspection of this service under its new registration.

Cavendish Road is a home for people with learning disabilities. It is located in Balham, close to amenities and with good transport links. At the time of our inspection, there were eight people living there. The service is arranged over three floors. People live in single bedrooms with shared lounge, bathroom and kitchen facilities.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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.

People using the service told us they were happy living at the home. They told us that staff were friendly towards them. During our inspection we saw that people were able to live independently and treated it as their home. Some people went out during the inspection to the day centre but those that were at home appeared relaxed and at ease with staff.

Care workers demonstrated a caring attitude towards people and spoke about them in a manner which showed they knew them and their likes and dislikes. Each person was allocated a key worker who met with them on a monthly basis for a key working session. They ensured that support plans and records were up to date and people were being supported in the most appropriate way.

Relatives told us they were happy with the care and support being provided by the service. They told us they were able to visit the service without restrictions and were happy that their family members’ needs with respect to food, medicines and access to healthcare were being met. The provider kept relatives up to date with any changes.

The provider worked well with health and social care professionals, keeping them up to date with any changes in people’s needs or any safeguarding concerns. They also followed guidelines and recommendations that had been put in place from specialists such as dieticians, community psychiatrists and others. This helped to ensure that people were kept safe and had their needs met.

The provider was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Some people were being deprived of their liberty, this was done in accordance with the law. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards were in place only when people did not have the capacity to understand the reasons for restrictions that were imposed in their best interests. There was evidence that best interests meetings had taken place and staff gave us examples of situations when they had done this.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and they were well supported by the manager. They were given the opportunity to develop their skills through relevant training to meet people’s needs.

Health and safety checks were carried out which helped to ensure the environment was fit for use. An area manager last visited the service in August 2015 and there was a improvement plan in place for the year for the registered manager to use as a way of implementing changes to the service.