About the service: Oakwood is a residential care home that provides personal care and support for up to thirty young people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder who are attending Oakwood College. The home does not provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection there were 12 people living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

Oakwood had been developed and designed prior to Building the Right Support and Registering the Right Support guidance being published. We found the outcomes for people living at the home reflected some of these values and principles. We have made a recommendation in relation to the promotion of social inclusion and the way in which people are supported to live an ordinary life.

People were happy living at Oakwood and told us they felt safe. People continued to be protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. Registered managers and staff had attended safeguarding training and demonstrated a good understanding of how to keep people safe.

Risks associated with people’s complex care needs had been appropriately assessed and staff had been provided with information on how to support people safely. People’s medicines were managed, stored and administered safely and appropriately by staff who had been trained and assessed as competent to do so.

Staff were recruited safely and there were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs. Staff told us they felt supported and we saw evidence that staff had received an induction, training and ongoing supervision.

Care and support was personalised to each person which ensured they could make choices about their day to day lives. Staff knew people well and had developed good relationships with people. People knew how to make a complaint and felt confident they would be listened to if they needed to raise concerns.

People's healthcare needs were monitored and people had access to healthcare professionals according to their individual needs. People 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 home supported this practice.

We have made a recommendation about recording mental capacity and best interests decisions in relation to people’s finances.

People benefitted from a home that was well led. The provider had systems in place to review, monitor and improve the quality of service provided. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care. The registered managers worked in partnership with health and social care professionals.

We have made a recommendation in relation to systems in place to monitor, the quality and safety of the services provided.

The home was clean, well maintained and people were protected from the risk and/or spread of infection as staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE).

Rating at last inspection: The home was previously rated as Good. The report was published on the 17 August 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection that was scheduled to take place in line with Care Quality Commission scheduling guidelines for adult social care services.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the home until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

Oakwood provides accommodation and personal care for young people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder who are attending Oakwood College, which is a specialist college. At the time of the inspection there were 19 people living at the service. The service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 30 people.

The inspection took place on 4 May and 6 May 2016 and the provider was given a short period of notice of our arrival. We last inspected in November 2013 when there were no concerns identified with the care being provided to people.

The service had two registered managers 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. Additional management support was provided by an operations manager who worked across the residential and college service.

People living at Oakwood were happy and thriving. They were enjoying friendships and achieving skills and goals that had seemed unreachable when they first moved to the service. Some people had learned new independent-living skills, like being able to cook or get up, washed and dressed independently. Others were achieving levels of independence that meant they could pursue their vocational interests, like going to work at a local animal centre. Others had gained in confidence, so that they could participate more actively in life. For example, one person had hardly spoken when they first arrived at the college, but was now able to ask questions at their house meeting. Another could now make eye-contact with staff and friends.

People told us of their achievements with pride and confidence and were optimistic about the future. Relatives told us “I have found the level of care provided by the staff at Oakwood (both college & residential) to be absolutely outstanding.”

People said they felt happy, secure and safe living at Oakwood and relatives described it as “a happy and safe home”. One person said “My life here is perfect at the moment. I enjoy myself so much. I am safe here”. Throughout our inspection we saw people were confident and comfortable in their relationships with staff. The service had worked closely with people to ensure that they understood their right to live safely and to make sure they knew what to do if they experienced any feelings of worry or hurt.

The atmosphere in the home was warm and welcoming and we saw laughter, warmth and trust between people and staff. People felt listened to. They knew how to raise a complaint if they wanted to and were confident that staff would take them seriously. Staff understood their duty to protect people should they suspect abuse was taking place. This included notifying agencies such as the local authority safeguarding team and the police.

We found the service had a strong person centred culture where people were at the heart of everything that happened. Staff were keen advocates for people’s right to be an individual and to receive care that reflected their individuality. People’s preferences and views were constantly being sought and were instrumental in shaping the service. For instance, in relation to staff recruitment and suggestions for a basement gym.

People's likes, dislikes, interests and support networks were included in their care plans and care was planned in partnership with them. Each person met with their keyworker at least monthly to discuss their progress and wishes. Care records were accessible and people had a sense of ownership of their records. They were fully involved in their care plans and information was presented in an accessible way (such as symbols) so that they could be fully involved.

Care plans gave staff detailed guidance about how to provide care,

People in the service told us they were involved in making decisions about their support and told us that staff treated them well. One person told us "staff are great". Another person said "all good here, lots of friends".

There was a relaxed atmosphere in the service that people appeared to respond favourably to. People we met were happy and chatty with us.

People told us that they felt safe. Staff we spoke with demonstrated that they understood what abuse was, and were confident that colleagues would report any concerns that arose. The service had up to date policies and procedures in place that protected people.

Staff told us they were well supported by the manager and felt confident in their roles.

One staff said "the manager is very approachable and easy to talk to".

There was a system in place to monitor quality and safety. People were encouraged to express their views and we saw that their feedback was taken into account and used to improve the service where necessary.

We found that people's values and diversity were recognised and taken into account in the planning and delivery of their care and support. People were involved in making decisions about their treatment and people told us their right to privacy was respected.

We found that people's care and treatment was planned in line with their assessed needs and promoted their health, safety and wellbeing. A person told us "I love it here, my room, staff, vehicles - I feel well and I am supported". Another person said "they help me to be more independent and they respect me".

People told us that they felt safe in the home. Staff we spoke with demonstrated that they understood what abuse was and how to report any concerns. The provider had policies and procedures in place which protected people by supporting staff to work and deliver care safely.

We found that staff were properly inducted into their role and supported by managers to provide care and support to people who used the service. A staff member said "I get praised for my hard work and approach to residents - I treat people how I would like to be treated, and as adults".

We found that the provider had an effective system in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People were encouraged to express their views and their feedback was taken into account. We found that positive feedback had been given by people's relatives.