The inspection took place on the 01 May 2018 and was unannounced. Northfield House provides accommodation and support with personal care to a maximum of six people with learning disabilities or who have autism spectrum disorder.

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

Northfield House can accommodate up to six people in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection six people were living at the home. 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 new manager in post who was in the process of becoming registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

People felt safe staying at Northfield House and risks to people were minimized through risk assessments. There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies.

Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at Northfield House to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. There were enough staff to keep people safe.

People were supported to take their medicines safely by suitably trained staff. Medication administration records (MAR) confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed.

People received varied meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and went out of their way to provide people with what they wanted.

Staff sought consent from people before providing care or support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their liberty was not restricted unlawfully. Decisions were taken in the best interests of people. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible.

New staff completed an induction designed to ensure they understood their new role before being permitted to work unsupervised. Staff received regular support and one to one sessions or supervision to discuss areas of development. They completed a wide range of training and felt it supported them in their job role.

People were cared for with kindness and compassion. Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

People were involved in their care plans and reviews. Residents meetings’ and surveys allowed people to provide feedback, which was used to improve the service.

People were supported and encouraged to make choices and had access to a range of activities. Staff knew what was important to people and encouraged them to be as independent as possible.

A complaints procedure was in place. Regular audits of the service were carried out to assess and monitor the quality of the service. Staff felt supported by the manager and staff meetings took place. The service had achieved gold and silver in investors in people.

This inspection took place on 19 and 22 January 2016 and was unannounced. One inspector visited the service on both days.

Northfield House provides accommodation, care and support for up to six people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection there were six people living at the home. There was a registered manager at the home at the time of 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they liked living at the home and felt safe. We spoke with three family members and they all felt confident that their relative was cared for safely. Staff spoke knowledgably on how to prevent, identify and report abuse and the provider had a system in place to protect people from the risk of harm.

People’s needs were assessed including areas of risk to ensure their safety. Staff supported people in accordance with their wishes, protecting people’s privacy and maintaining their dignity. People were involved in assessing and planning the care and support they received.

People said they had enough to do and didn’t get bored. People told us about the things they did around their home such as cleaning, cooking and laundry. Staff ensured the environment was suitable and promoted people’s independence.

There were robust recruitment systems in place and staff were well trained to make sure they understood how best to support or help people. Staff told us they were well supported and found supervision and appraisals helped them to understand their role.

People told us they felt the service was well led, with a clear management structure in place. There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided and staff told us they felt people received a high quality of service. One care worker said they were proud to, “See all the guys and how happy they are”. Family members were all complimentary about the service their relative received. One told us, “You can’t praise them enough”.

We were able to speak with three people who use the service during our visit. They told us they would regularly meet with staff to talk about their needs, likes and dislikes. They said staff knew about their needs and were good at supporting them and encouraging them to be independent when they were able to be. They told us they felt safe and well cared for by a friendly staff team who were always available for them. People said they had regular meetings at the service to talk about anything they wanted to discuss.

During our visit we found people’s contribution to discussions and decision making about their care to be well documented. We saw the service maintained and updated detailed records on the care and support needs of each individual and a plan of how the service would meet each individual’s identified needs. We saw that an adequate staff team was available to meet the needs of the people who use the service. Staff were completing a program of training and were knowledgeable in such things as protecting people from the risk of abuse.

We found that the service had quality monitoring systems in place and people had a variety of methods available for them to share their views and opinions about the service. We noted that where actions to prevent the recurrence of incidents or changes to improve the service were required these were completed.

One person said of his experience at Northfield House: “I’ve always been happy and well living here.”

People who lived at Northfield House received care that met their needs. People had care plans and risk assessments in place that told staff how to support people. We spoke with one person who lived in the home and two people's relatives about the care provided at the home. They spoke positively about their experience. One relative told us, "I couldn't wish for a better place or better staff. I have never had any concerns. I am very happy." Another relative told us that the home met their family member's needs really well. A person who lived in the home commented, "It's quite good here."

People received the support they needed to take their medicines. We found that medicines were stored safely and procedures were in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff received training and support to work with people who lived in the home. Staff told us that the training and support they received was good and enabled them to meet people's needs. People who used the service, and their relatives, told us that staff had the right qualities and skills to support people. Relatives of people who lived in the home had confidence that their family members were safe because staff knew what to do to support them.

The home maintained records about people's care. We saw that records were reviewed and updated regularly and staff knew where to find them. This helped ensure that people received safe and appropriate care that met their individual needs.