This inspection took place on 8 and 9 January 2018 and was unannounced.

Littlecroft is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Littlecroft provides accommodation for up to three people with a learning disability and complex needs. The service uses three detached bungalows with gardens. There were three people living at the service at the time of our inspection.

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.

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.

Some people who lived at Littlecroft had limited communication skills meaning we were unable to gain some people’s verbal views on the service. We observed staff interactions and spoke with two people who lived there. We observed that people were relaxed, engaged in their own choice of activities and appeared to be happy and well supported by the service. We also spoke with people’s relatives and staff to understand their experiences.

The service provided an extensive range of personalised activities chosen by people to participate in. People were encouraged and supported to take up both paid and voluntary job opportunities in their local community. One person had received recognition in their local newspaper following work they had undertaken with an animal rescue. People told us they were supported to achieve their goals and aspirations and to live happy and rewarding lives.

There was a positive atmosphere within the service and it was noticeable that staff and management put people at the centre of the service. Staff were enthusiastic and passionate about the service. Comments included, “I believe people receive very good care and support here. Everything we do here is individualised to the people who live here.”

People were supported by a stable and consistent staff team who had received training specific to their needs. Staff told us they enjoyed their work and were well supported through supervision, appraisals and training. New staff received an induction, which incorporated the care certificate. All staff received an appraisal of their work. Staff comments included, “Green Light are a good employer, we have a strong stable team and we are well supported in our roles”, "The training is very good. We are always doing training and we are encouraged to do further training when it’s required to meet the needs of the people we support". A healthcare professional commented “As a company Green Light regularly book epilepsy awareness training from Cornwall Foundation Trust – this is a mandatory training for all carers of [person’s name] because [person] has rescue medication prescribed.”

Staff demonstrated a good depth of knowledge about the people they cared for and responded appropriately as people's needs changed. Staff spoke positively about the people they supported and were motivated to provide an individualised service in line with people's needs and goals.

People had a care plan that provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes. Care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. For example, one person was reported as sometimes having a deterioration in mood and

The inspection was carried out on 27 August 2015 and was unannounced.

Littlecroft provides accommodation for up to three people with a learning disability and complex needs. The service uses three detached bungalows with gardens. There were three people living at the service at the time of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Some people who lived at Littlecroft had very limited communication skills meaning we were unable to gain some people’s verbal views on the service. We observed staff interactions and spoke with two people who lived there. We observed that people were relaxed, engaged in their own choice of activities and appeared to be happy and well supported by the service. We also spoke with people’s relatives and staff to understand their experiences.

There was a positive atmosphere within the service and it was noticeable that staff and management put people at the centre of the service. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in the planning of care. Senior management, staff and relatives regularly

discussed how to best support people living at the service. There were regular feedback opportunities for people to give their thoughts on how the service was working. This enabled people and their relatives to comment on the service independently. Comprehensive quality assurance processes were regularly undertaken to ensure management were aware of how the service was operating, and were able to implement changes to keep the quality of the service high.

People had regular routine access to visiting health and social care professionals where necessary. People attended an annual health check with a GP and had access to specialist medical services to ensure their health needs were met. There was appropriate communication between the service and medical services and clear guidance for staff about how they

were to meet people’s needs so that they worked in collaboration. Staff responded to people’s changing health needs and sought the appropriate guidance or care from healthcare professionals. Medicines were managed safely to ensure people received them in accordance with their health needs and the prescriber’s instructions.

Staff had a positive approach to keeping people safe and there was commitment to managing the changing risks in the service. Staff had developed their skills and understanding to appropriately support people when they became stressed or anxious. There were enough staff to keep people safe and properly supported to do the things they enjoyed, such as surfing and coastal walks. People’s safety risks were identified, managed and reviewed and staff understood how to keep people safe. Staff identified and reported any concerns relating to a person’s safety and welfare. The registered manager had a system to respond to all concerns or complaints appropriately.

Rigorous recruitment procedures were used to make sure new staff were safe and competent to work with people at the service. Staff were trained to provide the support individuals needed. A comprehensive system of induction and training was in place. Staff said the training was thorough and gave them confidence to carry out their role effectively. The staff team were supportive of each other and worked together to support people.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff demonstrated they had an excellent knowledge of the people they supported and were able to appropriately support people without limiting their independence. Staff were highly motivated and flexible which ensured people’s plans were realised so that they lived meaningful and enjoyable lives. Staff consistently spent time speaking with the people they were supporting. We saw many positive interactions and people enjoyed talking to and interacting with staff. One staff member said, “I am really pleased to be working at Littlecroft. It’s a very stable service which is providing a supported but independent lifestyle for all three people who live here”.

Relatives of people who used the service commented, “The staff are most caring, very professional and set clear guidance for employees working with our (relative). Staff are always polite, they communicate well with us, keep us informed with what they are doing/hoping to achieve with (person’s name) and we are considered an important part of their team. They are open to our suggestions and ideas. It’s an excellent service”.

Where people did not have the capacity to make certain decisions, the service acted in accordance with legal requirements under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

We carried out this inspection as part of our planned schedule of inspections. We spoke with five staff members, three people who lived in the home, three family members and two external professionals. People we spoke with told us the standard of care in the home was good.

One person spoken with told us the staff at Littlecroft were, "Okay". One relative told us, "Staff are fantastic, they do a marvellous job". A second relative told us, "The care is wonderful". A third relative told us "Staff are respectful they listen to X and us". Families were encouraged to be part of the care planning process.

People's care records were person centred. People who lived in the home were supported and their desired outcomes were understood. We found that people's views and experiences were taken into account. Staff received training and support that enabled them to meet the needs of the people who lived in the home. People told us they could talk to staff if they were unhappy about something.

There was an effective system in place that showed that all staff training was up to date. It also identified when staff were required to attend refresher courses.

Records kept in personnel files showed us the provider recruited staff safely, ensuring appropriate pre-employment checks were made. This meant people were protected by an effective recruitment process. There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs.

We spoke to two people who lived at Littlecroft, comments included, “I do much more than I used to do” and staff were described as “nice” and “good fun”. We spoke to two relatives, comments included, “really pleased with everything”, “I can’t fault the place” and “X can lead the life he wants to lead, but has got the support”. One relative told us, that the organisation was “very transparent” and that their relative was just “so happy”.

We found, people’s views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care, and people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening and people were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.

We found that there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs and that the provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.