About the service: The service provided care and support to adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 10 people were being supported by the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe and happy with the support staff provided to them.

People told us staff were friendly, kind and listened to them. Care plans were reflective of people`s likes, dislikes and preferences about the care they received.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

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.

People said they were free to plan their free time and staff supported them to do what they wanted discussing what risks were involved and also how to keep safe. As a result, people went on holidays, days, attended different clubs depending on their hobbies and interests.

People were pleased that staff listened to their wishes and their choices were respected. Staff knew how to support people to live a healthy life and helped people attend their annual health checks as well as make appointments to see health professionals when there was a need for it.

Staff received training to understand current best practice and provide people with the care they needed effectively. They told us they had regular supervisions and their managers were approachable if they needed any guidance or advice.

The provider was recruiting, and, in the meantime, permanent staff vacancies were covered by agency staff. The same agency staff were booked when possible to ensure people had continuity of care and support.

The registered manager and service managers regularly audited various aspects of the service to ensure the quality of the service was monitored and improvements were made when needed. The provider`s quality team visited and audited the service on a regular basis. Improvements needed were discussed and implemented.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 06 June 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection took place on 26 February 2016 and was announced. The service provides personal care and support for up to 30 people with a learning disability within a supported living scheme. The scheme consists of shared living and flats at various locations within Luton and Bedfordshire.

The service is required to have a registered manager. 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. The manager had recently joined the service and was not yet registered with the commission. They were waiting for their application for registration to be processed.

People felt safe and they were protected against the possible risk of safeguarding concerns or harm. Risks to individuals had been assessed and managed appropriately. There were sufficient numbers of experienced and skilled staff to care for people safely. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines regularly and as prescribed.

People received care and support from staff who were competent in their roles. Staff had received relevant training and support from management for the work they performed. They understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. They were aware of how to support people who lacked mental capacity. People’s nutritional and health care needs were met. They were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing and had access to and received support from other health care professionals.

The experiences of people who used the service were positive. They were treated with kindness and compassion and they had been involved in the decisions about their care where possible. People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted.

People’s health care needs were assessed, reviewed and delivered in a way that promoted their wellbeing. They were supported to pursue their leisure activities and access the local community facilities and amenities. An effective complaints procedure was in place.

There was a caring culture and effective systems in operation to seek the views of people and other stakeholders in order to assess and monitor the quality of service provision.