Dryad Spinney 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.

Dryad Spinney provide accommodation and personal care and support for up to five adults who have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. There were four people living in the home at the time of our inspection.

At the last inspection on 12 November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The atmosphere throughout the home was friendly, calm and caring. The staff spoke about people in a respectful manner and demonstrated understanding of their individual needs.

Staff understood how to identify, report and manage any concerns related to people’s safety and welfare. There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm, including how medicines were managed.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks had been undertaken, which made sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in the home. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs.

Staff were supported to provide appropriate care to people because they were trained, supervised and appraised. There was an induction, training and development programme, which supported staff to gain relevant knowledge and skills.

People were supported to have 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 received regular and on-going health checks and support to attend appointments. They were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to make informed choices about what they ate.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and staff were prompt to raise issues about people’s health so that people were referred to health professionals when needed. There were systems in place to help ensure any concerns or complaints were responded to appropriately.

People were supported to do the things that interested them, maintain relationships and to participate in community activities.

The registered manager demonstrated an open management style and provided leadership to the staff team. There were a range of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to ensure people were receiving appropriate support.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

At the previous inspection on 19 June 2014 we found that there were systems for identifying, assessing and managing risks relating to the health, welfare and safety of people who use the service and others However, these had not always been effective. People had not always been cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. This related specifically to how staff managed the behaviours of people when they became agitated or distressed.

At this inspection we gathered evidence against the outcomes for supporting workers and for assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision to answer the question: is the service effective?

We looked at records and spoke with the three members of staff on duty. We also spoke with the Registered Manager and the Operations Manager on the telephone.

Below is a summary of what we found. If you wish to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service effective?

During this inspection we found the provider had taken action to help ensure that risks to people using the service, staff and others were effectively managed. Staff had now received suitable training and clearer guidance was in place to enable them to manage behaviours that presented a risk. Staff felt confident and able to manage challenging situations. One person using the service was now going out more for community based activities, supported by staff who had the appropriate training.

This inspection visit took place on 12 & 18 November 2015 and was unannounced.

Dryad Spinney provides accommodation and personal care for up to five people who have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. There were five people living in the home at the time of this inspection.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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.

Due to their difficulties communicating verbally, we were not able to seek people’s views about the care and support they personally received. However, relatives we spoke with told us they felt the service provided safe care and support. There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm, including how medicines were managed. Staff were trained in how to recognise and respond to abuse and understood their responsibility to report any concerns to the management team.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks had been undertaken, which made sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in the home. There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff to meet people’s needs.

Staff were supported to provide appropriate care to people because they were trained, supervised and appraised. There was an induction, training and development programme, which supported staff to gain relevant knowledge and skills.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which apply to care homes. Where people’s liberty or freedoms were at risk of being restricted, the proper authorisations were in place or had been applied for.

People received regular and on-going health checks and support to attend appointments. They were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to make informed choices about what they ate.

The atmosphere throughout the home was friendly, calm and caring. The staff spoke about people in a respectful manner and demonstrated understanding of their individual needs.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and staff listened to what they said. Staff were prompt to raise issues about people’s health and people were referred to health professionals when needed. People were confident they could raise concerns or complaints and that these would be dealt with.

Relatives spoke positively about how the service was managed. There was an open and inclusive culture within the service, which encouraged people’s involvement and their feedback was used to drive improvements. There were a range of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to ensure people were receiving appropriate support.