The inspection of Orchard Close Care Home, known as Orchard Close to people and staff, took place on 22 November 2016. We previously inspected the service on 20 August 2013; the service was not in breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 regulations at that time.

Orchard Close provides short term respite care for adults who are living with a learning disability. The home has a maximum occupancy of 15 people. On the day of our inspection three people were resident at the home.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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 felt safe. Staff were aware of how to recognise signs of potential abuse and understood their responsibility to report their concerns.

The home was equipped with hoists and height adjustable beds in the event people needed support with moving and positioning. There was a system in place to ensure the building was maintained, and equipment was serviced by suitably qualified people.

Potential employees had to complete a number of pre-employment checks to ensure they were suitable to work at the home. There were adequate numbers of staff deployed to meet people needs and many of the staff had worked at the home for a number of years.

People’s medicines were managed safely and staff received regular training to ensure they had the appropriate skills and knowledge.

New staff were supported in their role and staff told us they received ongoing training and supervision. However, the service could not clearly evidence all staff training was up to date and supervisions were not always documented.

The registered manager and each of the staff we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the right of people to make their own decisions, whenever possible.

The atmosphere in the home was relaxed and friendly but interactions between people and staff remained professional. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual preferences and enabled people to retain their independence and make choices about their daily lives. People were treated with dignity and respect.

People who were new to the service were invited to visit the home prior to a period of respite care. Care plans were person centred and detailed people’s care and support needs, as well as their likes and dislikes. Care plans were also reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure they were reflective of people’s current requirements.

People were supported to engage in a wide range of activities during their stay to Orchard Close, including, swimming, bike riding and day trips. Staff told us they asked people about the activities they wanted to do and then tried to ensure their requests were met.

Staff enjoyed their job and were proud of the care and support they provided for people. Feedback from people was also positive.

There was a system in place to monitor the quality of people’s care and support. This included senior manager audits, service user feedback and staff meetings.

Whilst it was noted statutory notifications had not been submitted to the Care Quality Commission in line with regulatory requirements, we saw evidence this had been identified by the registered provider and action had already been taken to address the matter.

Orchard Close offers respite care to 200 people over the course of 12 months, with a maximum of 15 at any one time. Twelve people were resident at the time of our inspection. The service offers respite to many people who live with their parents, others live in residential homes or supported living settings and like going to Orchard Close for a holiday. Most bookings were planned in advance but some emergency placements happened if a person’s main carer became unexpectedly ill for example. Many of the people who stayed at Orchard Close did so several times a year and were well known to staff.

During our inspection we spoke to two care staff and the deputy manager. We met ten of the people staying at Orchard Close and spoke to eight of them about their experience there. People said things like “I love it here”, “We go out every day” and “Staff are nice”.

We spent time observing the care and support given to people. We saw that they looked happy and relaxed. We observed staff interacting with people in a friendly manner and treating them respectfully. People moved freely around the home and asked for help and support when they needed it or just chatted to staff and to each other.

We saw that some care plans were detailed and up to date while others had not been updated. The majority of the people staying at Orchard Close were able to consent to being there and to the care they received there. However, their involvement in the care planning was not always recorded. There were no records about the decision making process held in the home for those that did not have the capacity to consent.

There were processes in place to ensure that medicines were received, stored and administered safely. Only trained and competent staff attended to this.

Staff knew the people well and showed a good understanding of their needs and preferences.

People told us they liked being at Orchard Close. One person said: "I come here year after year, the staff are excellent, the food is excellent and I am given lots of choice around activities”

People said they felt safe and knew who to talk to if they had concerns.

During our visit we saw that people were being treated with dignity and spoken to in a respectful way. People were being enabled to do what they wanted for themselves, express their wishes and participate in making decisions relating to their individual lifestyle.

We saw that people’s privacy and independence was respected and people had full involvement in their care plans and were encouraged to make informed choices on how they wanted to spend their time and the activities they wished to be involved in.

People using the service were protected from abuse as they were supported by a staff team who had appropriate knowledge and training on safeguarding adults. We saw policies on whistle blowing and safeguarding. People’s rights were respected.

We saw that staffing levels met the needs of people; we saw evidence that staff received ongoing training which gave them skills and knowledge to continually meet the needs of the people they were supporting.

People told us they liked staying at Orchard Close. They said staff were kind and friendly and they felt listened to and involved in their care. They said they felt safe in the home and knew who to talk to if they felt worried or wanted to make a complaint.