51 Wellington Road is a residential care home providing support for up to eight people who have a learning disability. The home has been owned and operated by the same family for more than twenty years. Eight people lived at the home at the time of our inspection.

Based in a domestic style house within a local community the home provides good access to the facilities of New Brighton. Accommodation is over three floors with bedrooms located on the first and second floor.

At the last inspection, the home was rated good. At this inspection we found the home remained good.

People told us they felt safe living at 51 Wellington Road and knew that any concerns or complaints they raise would be listened to and acted upon by staff.

A total of six staff worked at the home including the registered manager. People knew all the staff well and were confident in their abilities to support them. Sufficient staff were available to support people and they had received appropriate training and support to undertake their role effectively. Staff had built good relationships with people and provided individual support to meet their needs.

People received the support they needed to monitor their physical and mental health and with their medication.

The manager was a member of the family who have owned and operated the home since it opened. He knew everyone living at the home very well and acted as a role model in promoting the ethos of the home which was to provide a homely, family environment. The house was safe, cosy and comfortable and people clearly viewed it as their home.

People were able to make decisions for themselves with advice and support from staff when needed. They were involved in the daily running of their home and made full use of the facilities as they chose.

People are 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.

Some systems were in place for monitoring the quality of the service. It was evident that people living there were listened to and their views taken into account. The home’s small staff team were well led by an experienced manager. Senior staff had a detailed understanding of how the home operated and any changes to people’s care or support needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

51 Wellington Road is a residential care home providing support for up to eight people who have a learning disability. The home has been owned and operated by the same family for more than twenty years. Eight people lived at the home at the time of our inspection.

Based in a domestic style house within a local community the home provides good access to the facilities of New Brighton. Accommodation is over three floors with bedrooms located on the first and second floor.

At the last inspection, the home was rated good. At this inspection we found the home remained good.

People told us they felt safe living at 51 Wellington Road and knew that any concerns or complaints they raise would be listened to and acted upon by staff.

A total of six staff worked at the home including the registered manager. People knew all the staff well and were confident in their abilities to support them. Sufficient staff were available to support people and they had received appropriate training and support to undertake their role effectively. Staff had built good relationships with people and provided individual support to meet their needs.

People received the support they needed to monitor their physical and mental health and with their medication.

The manager was a member of the family who have owned and operated the home since it opened. He knew everyone living at the home very well and acted as a role model in promoting the ethos of the home which was to provide a homely, family environment. The house was safe, cosy and comfortable and people clearly viewed it as their home.

People were able to make decisions for themselves with advice and support from staff when needed. They were involved in the daily running of their home and made full use of the facilities as they chose.

People are 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.

Some systems were in place for monitoring the quality of the service. It was evident that people living there were listened to and their views taken into account. The home’s small staff team were well led by an experienced manager. Senior staff had a detailed understanding of how the home operated and any changes to people’s care or support needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Eight people lived at 51 Wellington Road and this had been home to most of them for a considerable number of years. They functioned very much as an extended family. People were able to choose their own daily routines and most were able to go out without support from staff. People told us about things they had done since our last visit to their home including trips to Blackpool, Manchester Airport and Cadbury World. One person told us “We’re all very happy here, we get on well together.” and the others agreed.

Most people were independent for personal care and were generally fit and well. People were all registered with a local GP health centre and saw a dentist, optician, and chiropodist as needed. The home used an electronic care plan system that comprised a comprehensive set of assessments of people's physical and mental abilities and needs, risk assessments, and plans for their care.

Medicines were stored securely and records we looked at indicated that people always received their medicines as prescribed by their doctor.

The home was comfortably furnished and provided a homely environment. Some improvements had been made to the environment since our last visit.

The home had a small and stable team of support staff who were all qualified to NVQ level 3 or 4.

Seven people were living at 51 Wellington Road when we visited on 30 January 2013. They had all lived there for a number of years, the shortest time being four years. Everyone was mobile without assistance and they were able to go out by themselves. People were encouraged to develop and maintain daily living skills. People told us that when they went out they told the staff where they were going and when they would be back. People said that they all got on well together and never fell out. People had 24 hour a day access to the kitchen. The care plans we looked at detailed people’s likes and dislikes and all of the people who lived at the home were able to express their views.

At the time we visited the home had a vacancy and the manager told us that the people who lived there would be involved in choosing who would come to live at the home. People interested in going to live there would be invited to spend some time at the home before making a decision.

The assistant manager told us that everyone had an annual well-man or well-woman check up and a health passport was in place for each person. This is a document that can be taken with people when they use health services and gives details of their special needs.

Although this was a small service we saw that a high standard of record keeping was maintained. The assistant manager was able to provide all of the records we required and they had been well maintained and kept up to date.

When we visited 51 Wellington Road, the people who were living there were happy to speak with us and told us:

‘N’ is a good worker.

‘J’ looks after us very well, she is like my second mother.

All the staff are very nice.

We have good meals, good apple pie.

We’re having curry for tea tonight, everyone likes curry.

We do lots of things, go to the pictures, go on holiday, have trips out.

I go to my Mum’s every day.

Following our visit we spoke by phone with a relative of a person who lives at the home. She told us “I am very happy with his care, he couldn’t be anywhere better, it has been the making of him.” She considered that they are like a family and he feels it is his home. She is satisfied that he goes out and has social opportunities and he visits his family regularly.

We spoke with a healthcare professional who supports one of the people who lives at the home. She told us that she was not aware of any concerns. The staff have responded well to advice from a speech and language therapist and further training is planned. When she visits the home, she is able to speak to the person in private and the person is encouraged to attend appointments. The assistant manager is proactive in seeking advice for any problems and keeping her informed of any changes.