Leigh House is a residential care home for 5 people with learning disabilities who may also have physical disabilities. At the time of inspection there were three people living at the home permanently and other people who regularly stayed for short breaks. At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to receive safe care. There were enough staff to support them and they were recruited to ensure that they were safe to work with people. People were consistently protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely.

The care that people received continued to be effective. They 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. Staff received training and support to be able to care for people well. They ensured that people were supported to maintain good health and nutrition.

People contined to have positive relationships with the staff who were caring and treated people with respect and kindness. There were lots of opportunities for them to get involved in activities and pursue their interests. Staff knew them well and understood how to care for them in a personalised way. Communication systems were developed to ensuer that people could communicate their choices. Relatives knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and there was a procedure in place to manage any; however, no complaints had been received.

People, their relatives and staff were included in developing the service and found the manager approachable. There were quality systems in place which were effective in monitoring and improving the quality of the care that was provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

This inspection took place on 21 August 2015 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection since registration in September 2014.

Leigh House provides personal care for up to 3 younger adults with a learning disability and associated conditions. There was one person living at Leigh House on the day of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and were responsive to their needs. People were protected against the risk of abuse, as checks were made to confirm staff were of good character to work with people. Sufficient staff were available to meet people's diverse needs.

Risk assessments and care plans had been developed with the involvement of people and their representatives. Staff had the relevant information on how to minimise identified risks to ensure people were supported in a safe way.

The home provided spacious communal areas and facilities, that had been designed to accommodate people’s physical and well-being needs. Bespoke facilities and private accommodation had been provided to ensure people’s diverse needs and preferences were met. Equipment was in place to meet people’s diverse needs which enabled them to maintain choice and independence.

Staff understood people’s needs and abilities and were provided with training to support them to meet the needs of people they cared for. Staff knew about people’s individual capacity to make decisions and supported people to make their own decisions. People’s needs and preferences were met when they were supported with their dietary needs.

Staff supported people to maintain their independence and develop their communication skills to enable them to make choices. The culture of the home empowered people to maintain their dignity and privacy. Staff understood the needs and preferences of the people they supported and worked in partnership with them and their representatives. Staff treated people in a caring way and they were supported to maintain good health.

The delivery of care was tailored to meet people’s individual needs and preferences. People were supported develop and maintain hobbies and interests within the local community to promote equality and integration. The provider actively sought and included people and their representatives in the planning of care.

Complaints were used as an opportunity for learning and improvement. People’s representatives knew how to make a complaint and were confident that their complaint would be fully investigated and action taken if necessary.

Arrangements were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service, so that actions could be put in place to drive improvement. There were systems in place to supervise and manage all staff, to ensure staff’s practice was monitored and to identify when additional support or training was required. The management of the service was open and transparent. Positive communication was encouraged and people’s feedback was sought by the registered manager to further develop the service and drive improvement.