We carried out our inspection on 8 August 2017. The inspection was announced.

The service provides accommodation for up to seven people living with learning disabilities. The service is located in a residential area of Wellingborough. Accommodation is on three floors. Avonlea has two communal lounges and kitchen dining area. It has an enclosed landscaped garden. At the time of our inspection six people were using the service.

Staff understood and put into practice the provider’s procedures for safeguarding people from abuse and avoidable harm. They advised people using the service about how to keep safe in the home and when they were out participating in activities of their choice, including those that included an element of risk. The provider had enough suitably skilled staff to be able to meet the needs of people using the service.

Staff had insight about people’s needs and behaviour patterns. They supported people and others to be safe when they presented behaviour that others found challenging.

Staff supported people to take their medicines at the right times. People knew what their medicines were for.

People using the service were supported by staff who had received relevant and appropriate training. This included training about people’s health. This meant staff understood the needs of people they supported. Staff were supported through effective supervision and training. Staff understood the relevance to their work of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They sought people’s consent before they provided care and support.

Staff supported people with their nutritional needs by providing information about balanced diets and healthy eating. They supported people to prepare their own meals.

People were supported to access the relevant health services when they needed to. People’s care plans were reviewed after they had been diagnosed with an illness and staff received additional training to be able to support people in those circumstances.

People were involved in the assessments of their needs and in reviews of their plan of care. People were provided with information about their care and support options and were involved in decisions about their care and support. Care worker’s respected people’s privacy and dignity.

People’s plans of care were centred on their specific needs. Those plans had agreed aims and objectives which care workers helped people to achieve. People knew how to raise concerns if they had any. The provider acted on concerns people had raised.

The provider had aims and objectives that were understood by staff and people using the service. They had effective procedures for monitoring and assessing the quality of service that promoted continuous improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.