The inspection was unannounced and took place on 12 November 2015. The service met all legal requirements at our last inspection in January 2014.

Fairkytes provides accommodation and support with personal care for up to four young people some of whom have complex learning disabilities including autistic spectrum disorders. The premises are spacious with a large outdoor living space including large trampolines and a seating area. On the day of our visit there were four people living at the service.

The service had a registered manager in place who managed this service and the sister service next door. 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 thought the registered manager was approachable and visible. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and the vision and values of the service and demonstrated an aspiration to see people live an active and fulfilled life.

People were treated with dignity and respect andtheir privacy was honoured. Staff demonstrated how they applied equality and diversity in practice in order to ensure that care delivered did not discriminate. We observed compassionate caring and considerate interactions between staff and people.

Staff were aware of the procedures to follow in response to allegations of abuse, reporting incidents, medical emergencies, fire and had attended appropriate training. Staff told us and we reviewed documentation that showed incidents and accidents were monitored and action was taken to learn and reduce the risk repeat incidents. Risk assessments to the environment and for people were part of the systems in place to ensure appropriate steps were taken to mitigate any identified risks

Care plans focussed on people’s physical, social and emotional needs and explained how to effectively support them. Health action plans, peoples hopes and aspirations, triggers to certain behaviours and how to respond were clearly outlined in the care records we reviewed.

Staff told us they were supported by the registered manager. Supervision, annual appraisals, regular meetings and continuing professional development by means of gaining recognised qualifications in adult social care was also supported.

Staff had attended training and were aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the need to follow appropriate procedures to ensure that people who lacked capacity to make certain decisions were only deprived of their liberty when it was in their best interest to do so.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs including taking people out to places of interest on a daily basis in the services vehicle. We checked staff files and found appropriate recruitment checks had been completed to ensure that suitable staff with verifiable references were employed.

People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and given choice. They participated in selecting the menu for the week. People were enabled to access health care when required. Medicines were given as prescribed and handled and stored safely.

This unannounced inspection took place on 29 December 2017. At our last inspection in November 2015 the service was rated Good. Following this visit we found the service remained "Good."

Fairkytes is a care home that accommodates up to four people in one adapted building. 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. On the day of our visit there were four people using the service one of which was on respite and another away with their family.

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 had a registered manager in place. 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 told us they felt safe. Staff had attended safeguarding training and were aware of the systems in place to report any allegations of abuse.

Recruitment processes remained robust and ensured all the appropriate checks were completed before staff were employed. Rotas and our observations noted sufficient numbers of skilled staff were deployed to ensure people's needs were met safely.

Medicines were managed safely and any anomalies or discrepancies were quickly rectified to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.

Risks to people were assessed and appropriate steps were in place to mitigate any identified risk. Similarly incidents and accidents were monitored to ensure staff learnt from them.

People were protected from the risks of infection because staff had attended the necessary training and followed infection control guidelines.

People were supported by staff who had regular appraisals, supervision, training and meetings in order to ensure they were able to support people effectively. Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how they applied it in practice. They told us that any unnecessary restrictions were avoided.

The service continued to be caring and responsive to people’s needs. People told us they were treated with dignity and respect. Care plans were pictorial, individual and depicted people’s social, physical, emotional needs. Special effort and attention had been made to ensure information was accessible and in format people could understand.

People were enabled to access health care services when required. They were also supported to maintain a balanced diet that met their individual preferences.

People were able to express any concerns. The complaints process in place was comprehensive and available in a format people could understand.

People and staff told us the service was well-led. Their feedback was listened to and considered in the way in which the service was run. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to ensure the quality of care was improved.

One the day of the visit we spoke with the team leader, the manager and one member of staff. We observed three people who lived at the home in their day to day activities.

We spoke to one person living at Fairkytes and their carer workers. They told us that they "loved their room" and were "very happy." We observed the interactions between staff and other people living at the home. We found that the interactions were positive and that staff clearly knew the individual's care needs.

We looked at the care records of three people living at the home. They reflected the views, preferences and needs of the people using the service. The staff told us that they had good information available to them to deliver good quality care.

There were appropriate arrangements in place to obtain people's consent. We saw recorded decisions in the care files for best interest and mental capacity decisions demonstrating a clear understanding of the issues and how best they could be resolved.

We looked around the home and in the garden. We found that the premises were well maintained but some further decoration was required on the first floor. The ground floor was in good condition.

We found that all support staff received planned training and were supported to care for people safely.

On the day of the inspection we found that all people who used this service were at home.

We were able to speak to most and observe other people who used this service. We saw that people’s interaction with staff was appropriate and that staff treated people with dignity and respect. We saw evidence that people were able to have an input into all areas of their daily lives and that their independence was respected.

Care plans were personalised and staff had used aids to ensure that people with communication issues were able to put their views across. Care plans demonstrated that people's needs were being met and that they had good links to all appropriate professionals.

We spoke to people who told us that they felt safe at the home. Staff were aware of the signs of abuse and training records showed that safeguarding training was mandatory.

Staff were supported in their training and in their everyday working environment. All staff that we spoke to said that they were happy with the training they received. Rotas showed that the provider had taken measures to ensure that there was always enough staff on duty to provide an effective, safe service.

We found that all areas of risk had been appropriately assessed and that the provider carried out regular checks and reviews of the home and the care provided. Policies and procedures were comprehensive and appropriate to ensure the delivery of a safe, effective service.