The inspection took place on 9 and 10 January 2017. Short notice of the inspection was given because the service is small and people are often out with staff support. At the previous inspection in February 2014 there were no breaches of regulation.

Family Investment (Four) Limited provides accommodation with personal care for up to 8 adults with a learning disability. The shareholders and directors of Family Investment (Four) Limited are family members or guardians of the people who live there. The directors hold regular meetings to discuss all aspects of the service and any surplus monies go back into improvements. There were 8 people living at the service at the time of the inspection. Each person has their own en-suite room and share the lounge, conservatory and kitchen/diner. The service is situated in a rural area, with good links to Folkestone and Canterbury. It has its own garden with a patio.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Staff knew how to identify and report any safeguarding concerns in order to help people keep safe.

A robust recruitment procedure meant checks were carried out on all staff before they supported people, to ensure that they were suitable for their role.

There were enough staff who were sufficiently qualified and competent to support the people at the service. Staff had worked at the service for a number of years and so helped ensure consistency of care.

There were safe systems in place for the storage, administration and disposal of medicines. Staff received regular training in how to administer medicines safely and people were encouraged to take responsibility for their own medicines.

Potential risks of harm in the environment and for people when carrying out their daily lives had been identified and guidance was in place as to how the risk of harm could be reduced.

A schedule of cleaning was in place to ensure the service was clean and practices were in place to minimise the spread of any infection.

Staff felt well supported by each other and the management team. There was a rolling programme of essential training to ensure staff had the skills and knowledge to care for people effectively.

People had their health needs assessed and these were effectively monitored. People were responsible for planning, shopping and cooking their own food and took this in turns.

CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The service understood when to make an application, but had not needed to do so.

Staff were extremely kind, caring and compassionate, and enjoyed spending time with people. The service was run on ‘family values’ and there were positive relationships with people based on equality and understanding people’s individual and emotional needs. People were supported to maintain links with individuals who were important to them such as family and friends. People were actively involved in making all decisions that affected their daily lives, including recruiting new staff.

People understood that information about their care, treatment and support needs were contained in their plans of care. This information included what was important to people and their choices and preferences. Staff knew people well which enabled them to support people in a personalised way.

The service prioritised ensuring people had active fulfilling lives. People undertook a variety of educational, creative and work based activities which reflected their interests and abilities.

People’s views were sought in a variety of ways and they felt able to raise any concerns with staff. Information was available about how to fo

We spoke to all the people who were in the home at the time of the visit. Some people had gone home to spend Christmas with their families. People all lived active lifestyles with various forms of work and pursuing different interests. People were assisted to attend health care checks and community health professionals were involved to provide advice and support when needed. People were given the right amount of information so that they were able to make decisions and give consent regarding their care. Community health professionals were involved to provide advice and support when needed.

People said they were settled in the home and liked the staff who they knew well. One person said, “We go out to different places and it’s good fun,” Another person said, “We have our ups and downs, we all get on well and we all help each other out.”

There were sufficient numbers of staff available to support people with their chosen lifestyle. Staff said it was a good place to work and they worked well as a team. We saw good interactions between people using the service and the staff.

The home was safe, well maintained and suited people’s needs. Each bedroom was single and reflected people’s preferences and interests. The home had clear well organised documentation and records.

We spoke with all the people living in the home. People talked to us about the work they did in the vineyard and in the local community. One person told us, "We all go out to work. I also do voluntary work with the horses on the farm up the road." They talked about their interests and hobbies and how they were supported to pursue them. People said the staff helped them and listened to them. People were given the support they needed to make decisions about their care and support. People said they had everything they needed. Everybody's lifestyles were different depending on what they enjoyed and what their skills were. Staff said that it was a good place to work. They were able to attend training and said they were well supported by the manager.