Redwood House is the registered office for a supported living scheme in Hertfordshire which comprises of two blocks of flats. People received support and care in their own flats which they rent from a housing provider. At this service 8 people were being supported with the regulated activity of personal care.

People enjoyed living at the supported living scheme and having the support from staff. People and staff had formed positive relationships and said they enjoyed each-others company. People said that they felt safe and well supported. People were also friendly and familiar with the management team.

People were involved in the planning of their care and led staff about what they wanted to do daily. The staff promoted people’s choices and set goals with them to help them achieve their aspiration and increase their independence with day to day living.

The service met the characteristics of Good in safe, effective, caring, and responsive. However, the service fell short of this characteristics in well led. There were short falls in safe recruitment checks for new and existing staff. Audits completed by the provider and the management team were not always robust. We found issues which the management teams audits had not identified. More information will be in the full report.

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. Registering the Right Support CQC policy.

At the last inspection the service was rated as good overall (this report was published in April 2016).

We inspected Redwood house supported living scheme as this was a planned inspection.

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

The inspection visit to the office took place on 24 March 2016 and was unannounced. A visit was made to people in their flats in the units in Stevenage on 08 April 2016 and conversations were held with people who used the unit in Basildon by telephone on 14 April 2016.

Redwood House provides personal care and support for up to 14 people with a learning disability within a supported living scheme. The scheme consists of two units in Stevenage, Hertfordshire and one unit in Basildon, Essex. The two units in Stevenage consist of three, two bedroom ground floor flats in a large block with a fourth two bedroom flat used as an office and sleep-in facility for staff, and as a communal area for the six people who use the service. The second unit in Stevenage consists of two, two bedroom flats and two, one bedroom flats with a third,one bedroom flat used as an office for staff and a sleep in facility at night. The unit at Basildon consists of four, one bedroom flats and a fifth flat used by staff as an officer and sleep in facility.

The service has a registered manager. 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. The registered manager is supported by service managers who are responsible for the day to day running of the units in Stevenage and Basildon.

People were safe and the provider had effective systems in place to protect them from harm. Medicines were administered safely and people were supported to access other healthcare professionals to maintain their health and well-being. They were supported effectively and encouraged to be as independent as possible. They were assisted to maintain their interests and hobbies and to develop new skills. They were aware of the provider’s complaints system, and information about this and other aspects of the service was available in an easy read format. People were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service and to develop links with the local community.

Staff were well trained. They understood and complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). They were supported by way of regular supervision and appraisal and were supported to gain nationally recognised qualifications in social care. They were caring and promoted people’s privacy and dignity. Staff were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service, aware of their roles and responsibilities and understood the provider’s visions and values.

There were effective complaints and quality assurance systems in place.

When we inspected Redwood House on 14 November 2013, they were providing care packages to 11 people in their own homes. We spoke with one person and two family members who used the service, and found they were satisfied with the support they received. One person said, "They are very, very good. I cannot criticise them at all."

We saw from records that people were encouraged to express their views and involved in planning their care and making decisions about their support. Records confirmed that people were offered support which encouraged independence and ensured their individual needs were met. People told us the staff were respectful in their approach and competent in their roles. One person said, "Staff are good, they help me to do what I want to do, to go to college or on holiday. I like them all.”

We found the provider engaged with other professionals on behalf of people, to ensure their general health and well-being was looked after. People received support to attend appointments in respect of their health needs.

We saw that staff had received safeguarding training and could apply this knowledge to ensure the people they supported were kept safe and free from harm.

The registered manager ensured regular monitoring of the service took place and acted upon feedback that was given to drive improvement. People and staff said they felt able to approach the manager to discuss anything, and were confident that swift action would be taken to resolve any issues.

During our visit to Redwood House (provider Tamarindo Care Limited) on 7 December 2012, we saw that clear records were kept of people’s needs and choices for support. Staff we spoke with knew people’s requirements and how to support them to maintain and expand their community involvement.

We spoke with one person about the care they received. They told us that ‘‘...staff are so helpful…’’ and ‘‘...I speak to them about my interests and they keep me busy and take me out.’’

Staff we spoke with described enthusiastically how they supported people to satisfy their day to day requirements, and be as independent in the community as possible. Accurate and appropriate records were kept for people to support these activities.

People that we spoke with when we visited them on the 08 November 2011 were very happy with the support and assistance they received. They said that the support they had, helped them to live more independently.

They told us that they felt safe and trusted the staff from Tamarindo Care Limited who supported them, and that the staff were helpful and friendly, and always gave them support and guidance when they could not manage on their own.

People said that they felt their opinions were always listened to, and that they spoke regularly with team leader and the service manager to discuss their care needs. This also gave them the opportunity to share their views and make suggestions to improve the care and support they received.

We observed staff interacting confidently, showing patience and understanding, and encouraging people to be independent. They were respectful and professional in their approach to people.