At last inspection on 25 May 2017 we found the provider was delivering a good service to people. We found they continue to deliver a good service.

This inspection took place on 19 July 2017 and was announced. The registered manager was given short notice of the inspection because we needed to make sure they and the people who lived at the home were available to assist with the inspection.

Hermitage Way provides care and accommodation for up to seven people with a learning disability. There were seven people living in the home on the day of the inspection and there was a registered manager in post. 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 living at the home. Staff had a good understanding of potential abuse and knew how to protect people from the risk of harm. People were supported to take risks to enable them to live full and active lives. Risks were constantly reviewed to ensure people’s on-going protection. Staff were creative in their approach to offering safe support and created an enabling culture while keeping people safe. There were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs and to promote their independence. People received flexible and responsive support. Staff were recruited through safe recruitment practices meaning that only people suitable to work in the role were appointed.

People were protected by safe systems in place to enable them to take a lead role in administering, storing and recording their medicines.

People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide effective support. Staff received good training opportunities and training had been developed around the individual needs of the people who used the service. Staff competency was regularly reviewed and knowledge was updated to ensure it continued to reflect current best practices. Staff felt very well supported by the registered manager and their colleagues.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and worked well as a team to ensure people’s needs were met. People’s rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The registered manager and the staff team were committed to offering a service that was centred on people’s individual needs. People took control of how they lived their lives and staff supported their decisions and choices.

People enjoyed a range of nutritious meals that they planned and cooked with staff support as required. People chose to enjoy healthy options. Staff offered support and advice as to how they could do this.

People largely managed their own health care needs. Staff were available to offer support when required and people worked with health professionals for advice and support to remain in good health.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. People were enabled to do things independently and felt listened to and involved. People were supported to develop and maintain friendships and personal relationships. People’s privacy and dignity was respected and promoted and people knew how they should be treated.

People received a responsive service that met their needs and wishes and was delivered in a way that reflected people’s input and involvement. People took control of planning and reviewing their support and people enjoyed a range of activities, individually designed and planned around individual needs and preferences. People were very involved in the running of the service and this was encouraged and supported by staff.

People were confident that their complaints would be listened to, taken seriously and acted on.

People who used the service took a lead role in the running of the home. There was an open culture where

The inspection took place on 26 May 2015 and was announced. The registered manager was given short notice of the inspection because we needed to make sure they and the people who lived at the home were available to assist with the inspection.

Hermitage Way provides care and accommodation for up to seven people with a learning disability. There were seven people living in the home on the day of the inspection and there was a registered manager in post. 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 living at the home. The staff had a clear awareness and understanding of potential abuse and knew how to protect people from the risk of harm. There were imaginative and innovative ways to manage risk and to keep people safe, while making sure that they had a full and meaningful life. There were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs and to promote their independence.

People were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff were provided with effective training to keep people safe and meet their specific needs. People’s health care needs were assessed, and support planned and delivered to meet those needs. People were supported and encouraged to maintain positive health and had access to a range of healthcare professionals to support their health needs and promote their well-being.

Staff were described as kind, caring and friendly. People were enabled to do things independently and were listened to and respected. Staff were aware of people’s preferred communication styles and were aware of people’s likes, needs and preferences. We saw people had developed trusting relationships with staff. There was a good rapport between people and everyone looked happy and comfortable with staff and other people who shared their home.

People were involved in the planning and reviewing their care and support. They were encouraged to make their own choices and decisions about all aspects of life and were supported and enabled to lead the lifestyle they chose. People felt listened to and respected. They were supported to maintain relationships with their family and friends and knew who to speak with if they had concerns about the service or the support they received.

People felt the home was managed well and found the registered manager was open and approachable. People were involved in how the home was run and their views were sought about the quality of the service. Regular checks were carried out to monitor and improve the service that people received. There was a strong commitment to providing people with a good quality service.

We carried out our visit during the afternoon and early evening. This was so that we could have the opportunity to meet the seven people who lived at Hermitage Way when they returned from their daytime activities. Two people were happy to speak with us in private about their lifestyle at Hermitage Way. We met three members of staff, including the manager.

People told us that they were very happy living at the home and felt safe. One person told us, “You won’t find anything wrong here.”

Everybody we met told us they felt fully included and involved in making decisions. We saw that people lived very active lives with varying levels of support. People took part in a range of leisure and social activities, both at home and in the local community.

People were supported to attend regular health care appointments to keep them well. All care records were seen to be well organised and reviewed regularly. People were involved to make sure their care plans contained details about issues that were important to them.

People were supported by a knowledgeable and well trained staff team who knew their care and support needs well. People told us that they liked the staff that looked after them.

People told us the smooth running of the home made sure their views were considered and listened to. We saw the home had comprehensive quality monitoring tools in place to ensure that they maintained good standards of safe care.