About the service:

Houghton Regis Community Care Scheme is a ‘care home’. It provides care and support for up to 16 people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum conditions. The service comprises of four, four-bedded flats within the same premises. At the time of the inspection, seven people were being supported by the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People’s support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible to gain new skills and become more independent. This supported the principles of ‘Registering the Right Support’ and other best practice guidance. These ensured that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

Everyone’s feedback was positive about how the registered manager and staff supported people in a kind and person-centred way. Relatives said people’s needs had been met because of this. There was evidence the service had been effective in achieving good care outcomes for people. This was because the support provided enabled people to live happy and active lives.

People were protected from harm by staff who were confident in recognising and reporting concerns. Potential risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and minimised. There were enough staff to support people safely and to enable them to take part in a range of activities they enjoyed. People had been supported well to take their medicines. Lessons had been learned when medicine errors occurred and there was a system to support staff to manage medicines consistently well. Staff followed effective processes to prevent the spread of infection.

Staff had the right skills to meet people's needs effectively. Staff were well supported and had information to meet people’s assessed needs. Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink, and to access healthcare services when required. This helped people to maintain their health and well-being.

People were supported to have maximum 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 were fully involved in making decisions about their care and support. People were involved in planning and reviewing care plans. Staff supported people in a way that respected and promoted their privacy and dignity.

Information in people's care plans supported staff to deliver person-centred care that met people’s needs. The service worked in partnership with other professionals to ensure people received care that met their needs. There was a system to ensure people’s suggestions and complaints were recorded, investigated, and acted upon to reduce the risk of recurrence. The service did not currently provide end of life care, but they had started including relevant information in people’s care plans.

Audits and quality monitoring checks were carried out regularly to continually improve the service. The provider had systems to enable people, relatives and staff to provide feedback about the service. People's experiences of the service were positive. Staff felt fully involved in ensuring the service met its regulatory requirements.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first inspection since the service was registered in May 2018 under this provider.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor all information we receive about the service and schedule the next inspection accordingly.

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