Cottingham 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. Cottingham Road is registered to accommodate four people with learning disabilities; at the time of our inspection there were four people living in the home.

At the last inspection in December 2015 this service was rated good. At this inspection, we found the service remained good.

The service had a registered manager. 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 received care from staff that knew them and were kind, compassionate and respectful. There was sufficient staff to provide the care and support to people that they required.

People’s needs were assessed prior to coming to the home and detailed person-centred care plans were in place and were kept under review. Risks to people had been identified and measures put in place to mitigate any risk.

There were appropriate recruitment processes in place and people felt safe in the home. Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from any risk or harm and knew how to respond if they had any concerns.

Staff were supported through regular supervisions and undertook training, which helped them to understand the needs of the people they were supporting. People and where appropriate their relatives were involved in decisions about the way in which their care and support was provided.

Staff understood the need to undertake specific assessments where people lacked capacity to consent to their care and / or their day-to-day routines. People’s health care and nutritional needs were carefully considered and relevant health care professionals were appropriately involved in people’s care.

People were cared for by staff who were respectful of their dignity and who demonstrated an understanding of each person’s needs. Relatives spoke positively about the care their relative received and felt that they could approach management and staff to discuss any issues or concerns they had.

There were comprehensive systems in place to monitor the quality and standard of the home. Regular audits were undertaken and any shortfalls addressed.

The registered manager was approachable and people felt confident that any issues or concerns raised would be addressed and appropriate action taken.

The service strived to remain up to date with legislation and best practice and worked with outside agencies to continuously look at ways to improve the experience for people.

This inspection took place on the 3 December 2015 and was unannounced.

The home provides care and support for people with learning and physical disabilities who had limited communication. At the time of our inspection there were 4 people living there.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

There were appropriate recruitment processes in place. Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people and knew how to respond if they had any concerns. There were enough staff deployed to support the individual needs of people.

Staff were supported through regular supervisions and undertook training which focussed on helping them to understand the needs of the people they were supporting. People were involved in decisions about the way in which their care and support was provided. Staff understood the need to undertake specific assessments where people lacked capacity to consent to their care and / or their day to day routines. People’s health care and nutritional needs were carefully considered and relevant health care professionals were appropriately involved in people’s care.

People received support and care from staff that were kind, compassionate and respectful. Their needs were assessed prior to coming to the home and individualised support and care plans were in place and were kept under review. Staff had taken time to understand peoples likes, dislikes and enabled people to participate in activities either on an individual basis or within groups.

People were cared for by staff who were respectful of their dignity and who demonstrated an understanding of each person’s needs. This was evident in the way staff spoke to people and the activities they encouraged and supported individuals with. Relatives spoke positively about the care and support their relative was receiving and felt that they could approach management and staff to discuss any issues or concerns they had.

The manager was approachable and open to feedback; actively enabling staff to look at ways to improve and develop the service. The registered manager liaised with other professionals within the field of learning disabilities to look at ways of developing opportunities to support people to reach their full potential. There were a variety of audits in place to ensure people were receiving a good service and action was taken to address any shortfalls.

We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we had inspected to answer questions we always ask; Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service well lead?

This is a summary of what we found-

Is the service safe?

There were enough staff on duty to meet people's care needs safely. The service was clean and hygienic. Each person had an individual care plan which identified any risks and how these could be reduced.

Is the service effective?

People were cared for by staff who had received training on how to meet their needs. People used non-verbal communication to tell staff about their wants and needs. We observed that staff knew people very well and understood their needs.

Is the service caring?

People were cared for by staff who respected their privacy. Staff knocked on doors before entering people's rooms. People were asked for consent before care was delivered. Staff understood the importance of people having control over their lifestyle and were sensitive to their wants and needs.

Is the service responsive to people’s needs?

People were referred to healthcare professionals for care and treatment when their needs changed. Where people's needs changed then staffing arrangements were reviewed so the staff were always available to meet people's needs.

Is the service well-led

The service had a registered manager who was responsible for the delivery of day to day care. People's views were sought in monthly meetings. Staff meetings were held and the staff team received regular training to equip them with the skills needed to carry out their job role.

We saw that staff had a good understanding of the needs of the people they supported.

Staff understood how people communicated their needs and responded to their requests. People were encouraged to make choices in their daily lives. A relative told us that their relative chose what to wear and when they went to bed.

Staff were warm and respectful and people were relaxed and happy with the staff supporting them. A relative told us they were “still very happy with the care and support” their relative received.

We looked at a sample of care plans. These were very detailed and provided staff with the information they required to meet people's needs. Plans included details of people's personal care and support, health needs, risk assessments and people's likes and dislikes.

One relative told us that the care their relative received was "as good as we could hope for" and that “staff work very hard to find out what she likes to do”. They also told us that the home invited them to review meetings and kept them informed about any issues or problems.

People who lived at the home were not able to speak with us about the care they received. We saw that staff had a good understanding of the needs of the people they supported. Staff understood how people communicated their needs and responded to their requests. Staff were warm and respectful, knocking on the door of a person's room even when it was open. People were relaxed and happy with the staff supporting them.

We looked at a sample of care plans. These were very detailed and provided staff with the information they required to meet people's needs. Plans included details of people's personal care and support, health needs, risk assessments and people's likes and dislikes.

One relative told us that the care their relative received was "the best we could wish for" and that "the staff do an excellent job". They also told us that the home invited them to review meetings and kept them informed about any issues or problems.