Colin Garden Lodge 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.

The service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to three people. There were three people using the service at the time of this inspection. The service specialises in the care and support of people with learning and physical disabilities.

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.

The service has a registered manager, which 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.

At our last inspection in January 2016 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, their relatives and community professionals all praised the service and its staff and manager. We found people were treated with kindness, respect and compassion, and that they were given emotional support when needed.

The service empowered people to express their views and make decisions about their care and support. Risks to people were managed appropriately, balancing people’s autonomy with safety considerations. The service was following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act in terms of assessing and following-up on people’s capacity to consent to decisions.

The service supported people to follow their interests in the community and in-house, and was exploring new activities for people to try. It supported people to develop and maintain relationships that mattered to them, and to follow their faiths.

There were positive relationships between people and members of staff, and there was a small team of staff who consistently worked at the service. This helped build trusting relationships and meant staff understood people’s needs, preferences and communications better.

The service promoted a positive and inclusive culture that aimed to achieve good outcomes for people. It worked in co-operation with other organisations to deliver effective care and support, including for people’s health, medicine and nutritional needs.

The premises was small but clean and reasonably decorated, with some adaptations to support people’s individual needs.

Staff received the training and support they needed to meet people's needs.

Quality assurance systems were in place to help drive improvements at the service. This included through engagement with people using the service, their representatives and staff.

This inspection took place on 19 January 2016 and was unannounced. Colin Garden Lodge is a care home for up to three adults with a learning disability or people on the autistic spectrum.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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 content and well supported in the home, with good relationships with staff members who knew them well, and understood their needs. People, and their family members where relevant, had been included in planning the care provided and they had individual plans detailing the support they needed. We found that people had access to a range of activities within and outside of the home.

The service had an appropriate recruitment system to assess the suitability of new staff. We found that staff were sensitive to people’s needs and choices, supported people to develop or maintain their independence skills, and helped them work towards goals of their choosing, such as planning a holiday.

People were treated with respect and compassion. They were supported to attend routine health checks and their health needs were monitored within the home. The home was well stocked with fresh foods, and people’s nutritional needs were met effectively.

People were supported to make choices about their care and lifestyles. Where they were unable to give their consent, systems were in place to ensure that they were supported in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Staff in the service knew how to recognise and report abuse, and what action to take if they were concerned about somebody’s safety or welfare. Staff were positive about the standard of training provided by the organisation and displayed an understanding of how to support people in line with best practice.

There were systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the home environment and appropriate systems were in place for managing people’s medicines and finances safely. There was a complaints procedure in place for the home which was followed when needed.