This inspection took place on 18 January 2017 and was unannounced. The previous inspection was carried out in May 2013 and no concerns were identified.

Maylands is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 18 people who have a learning disability and who need support with their personal care. Maylands is in a residential area of Whitstable, within accessible distance of local amenities. Accommodation is provided over two levels, there were 17 people living at the service at the time of inspection and each had their own ensuite bedroom, all of which were personalised to suit each individuals tastes.

The service had a registered manager, who was present throughout the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We received wholly positive feedback about Maylands from people, relatives and professionals. We heard about exceptional standards of care and support which improved the quality of people's lives and gave their families peace of mind. We observed warm, caring attitudes from staff and a real drive to provide the best possible service for people.

The registered manager, a deputy manager and senior staff, provided leadership to the staff and led by example. Staff were motivated and felt supported by the registered manager and management team. The staff team were committed to the mission of the organisation, ‘to offer people a home for life.’ Staff treated people as individuals and each person received person centred support. Staff told us the registered manager was very approachable and they were confident and were extremely positive about their style of management.

A system to recruit new staff was in place. This was to make sure that the staff employed to support people were fit to do so. There were plenty of staff on duty to make sure people were safe and people's needs were met promptly and effectively by staff who knew people and their preferences very well. Staff had completed induction training when they first started to work at the service. Staff were supported during their induction, monitored and assessed to check that they had attained the right skills and knowledge to be able to care for, support and meet people’s needs. The registered manager carried out routine checks of staff knowledge and capability.

There were staff meetings, so staff could discuss any issues and share new ideas with their colleagues, to improve people’s care and support.

People were kept safe because staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. Staff had received safeguarding training; they knew the signs of abuse and were confident about how to raise a concern. Staff knew about the whistle blowing policy and were confident they could raise any concerns with the provider or outside agencies if needed.

Medicines were stored and administered safely. People were supported in a safe environment and possible risks to people had been identified and were managed to keep people as safe as possible whilst enabling people to live as independent a life as possible. People's health was carefully monitored and professional advice sought quickly and efficiently as needed. Staff worked collaboratively with health professionals, especially from the local community teams, forming excellent working relationships which had led to good outcomes for people.

Equipment and premises received regular checks and servicing in order to ensure it was safe. The registered manager monitored incidents and accidents to make sure the care provided was safe. Emergency plans were in place so if an emergency happened, like a fire, the staff knew what to do.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of

The people who use the service at Maylands manage a learning disability and therefore not everyone was able to tell us about their experiences. To help us to understand the experiences people had, we used our Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI 2) tool. The SOFI tool allows us to spend time watching what is happening in a service and helps us to record how people spend their time, the type of support they get and whether they have positive experiences.

We found that overall people had positive experiences. The staff knew what support people needed and they respected their wishes if they wanted to manage on their own. We observed that the support offered to people corresponded with the needs highlighted in their care plans. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity act (2005) and were person focused in their delivery of care and support.

People, who could, told us that they were supported to engage in a variety of activities and we saw people participating in an exercise session with a personal trainer. One person told us, " we have lots to do and we have fun".

We saw that people received a balanced diet and were supported with their nutritional needs. We found evidence that the provider and their staff worked in collaboration with outside professionals such as speech and language therapists and dieticians, where necessary and we saw documentation that confirmed that staff worked in line with reccomendations made.

People who were able to told us, that they liked living at Maylands and were happy there. relatives told us that they were very happy with the service. One person said "my relative has a very high level of need and I am very happy with their care. the owner and the manager always make me feel welcome and make me feel like I am part of the family. When I leave, I go away knowing that my relative is safe and well cared for.

The people that use the service at Maylands have learning difficulties and therefore not everyone was able to tell us about their experiences. To help us to understand the experiences people have, we used our Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) tool. The SOFI tool allows us to spend time watching what is going on in a service and helps us to record how people spend their time, the type of support they get and whether they have positive experiences.

We spent one hour watching before and during lunchtime and found that overall people had positive experiences. The staff supporting them knew what support they needed and they respected their wishes if they wanted to manage on their own. The support that we saw being given to people matched what their care plan said they needed.