About the service: Pendean Court is a residential care home that was providing personal care to eight deaf adults, some of whom had a learning disability or a physical disability.

What life is like for people using this service:

¿ People and their relatives consistently told us they felt safe living at the service and staff treated them in a caring and respectful manner. Comments included, "He is happy there", “I wouldn't have him living anywhere else" and "They are absolutely marvellous."

¿ Staff were committed to delivering care in a person-centred way based on people's preferences and wishes. People were observed to have good relationships with the staff team. Staff actively encouraged people to maintain links with the local community, their friends and family.

¿ Staff were recruited safely in sufficient numbers to ensure people’s needs were met. There was time for social interaction and activity with staff. Staff knew how to keep people safe from harm.

¿ People's care was individualised and focused on promoting their independence as well as their physical and mental well-being. People were empowered to take positive risks, to ensure they had as much choice and control of their lives as possible.

¿ The environment was safe and people had access to equipment where needed. Staff had received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely, including the management of medicines.

¿ People were supported to access healthcare services, staff recognised changes in people's health, and sought professional advice appropriately.

¿ People were involved in meal planning and preparation. Staff encouraged people to eat a well-balanced diet and make healthy eating choices.

¿ The registered manager, provider and senior team worked well to lead the staff team in their roles and ensure people received a good service. People, their relatives and staff told us they were approachable and that they listened to them when they had any concerns or ideas. All feedback was used to make continuous improvements to the service.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report was published 30 September 2016)

Why we inspected: This inspection was a scheduled comprehensive inspection based on the previous rating.

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 full details can be found on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

The inspection took place on 7 September 2016 and was unannounced. Pendean Court provides care and accommodation for up to for up to nine deaf adults who may also have a physical or learning disability. On the day of the inspection seven people lived in the home.

A registered manager was employed to manage the service locally. 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 received support from staff who knew them well and had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff had an in depth knowledge of how each person preferred to communicate plus other methods to use if the person became anxious or was having difficulty making themselves understood.

There was a positive culture within the service. The registered manager had clear values about how they wished the service to be provided and these values were shared by the whole staff team. Staff empowered people to make choices about how they spent their day and provided support where necessary. People were listened to when they requested new activities and staff acted upon these requests.

Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse and were confident any allegations would be taken seriously and investigated to help ensure people were protected. There were some risk assessments in place to help reduce any risks related to people’s care and support needs. However, although staff administered people’s medicines and looked after their money, there were no risk assessments in place to identify why it would be unsafe for people to do these tasks for themselves. The registered manager told us they would update these as soon as possible.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of people who used the service. The recruitment and induction process for new staff was robust. People were involved in recruiting new staff to help ensure the staff team had the skills and interests to meet people’s social and health care needs.

The registered manager and staff had attended training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Where appropriate, people had mental capacity assessments and Deprivation of Liberty safeguards (DoLS) applications had been made. However, there was no specific guidance for staff about how people’s mental capacity affected how they made decisions and which decisions staff may need to make in people’s best interests. There was no evidence this had impacted the care people received and the registered manager told us they would add this information as soon as possible.

There was a management structure in the service which provided clear lines of responsibility and accountability. A registered manager was in post who had overall responsibility for the service. They were supported by other senior staff who had designated management responsibilities. People told us they knew who to speak to and any changes or concerns were dealt with swiftly and efficiently.

Feedback received by the service and outcomes from audits were used to aid learning and drive improvement across the service. The manager, staff and senior managers monitored the quality of the service by regularly by undertaking a range of regular audits and speaking with people to ensure they were happy with the service they received.

The registered manager told us they were open in the way they worked and always apologised if things went wrong. Staff and healthcare professionals confirmed the manager was open and approachable.

We had arranged for an interpreter who could use sign language to communicate with people living at the service and seek their views about their experiences. Unfortunately this person was not able to attend and we were informed at very short notice. This meant we were not able to communicate directly with the people who used the service. We observed that people appeared 'happy' and 'content'. We saw people smile and engage positively when staff approached them and people looked comfortable in their surroundings. We saw that people were calm and relaxed with staff and support was given in a caring and professional way.

Care planning documentation was up to date and reflected the needs of people who used the service

We found staff had a good understanding of the individual needs of people who used the service and had received appropriate training to enable them to understand and meet those needs.

People who lived at the service, and the staff, confirmed they knew how to raise concerns. There were good systems in place to make sure people were listened to and individuals were confident their concerns would be dealt with promptly.

Staff were supported to do their work and told us they had regular training and support meetings to make sure they were kept up to date and well informed. Recruitment was undertaken in a robust and professional manner. We concluded there were sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of people.

Quality assurance systems were in place, conducted and completed both “in house” and by the managing company.

We used an interpreter who could use sign language to communicate with people living at the service and seek their views about their experiences. People told us they were 'happy' and 'content' at Pendean Court. We saw people smile and engage positively when staff approached them and people looked comfortable in their surroundings. One person told us, "Staff are nice."

People told us their care needs were met and that they were 'okay' with the support and care provided. We saw that people were calm and relaxed with staff and that support was given in a caring and professional way.

During our inspection we also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). This is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not speak with us all of the time. We used SOFI to observe how people were feeling and their engagement with staff. We found that overall staff had a good understanding of the individual needs of people who used the service and had received appropriate training to enable them to understand and meet those needs.

People living at the service, and the staff, confirmed they knew how to raise concerns. There were good systems in place to make sure people were listened to and individuals were confident their concerns would be dealt with promptly.

Staff were supported to do their work and told us they had regular training and support meetings to make sure they were kept up to date and well informed.

People we spoke with indicated that they were happy living at Pendean Court. They feel well supported and have many things explained to them. They can speak to any member of staff with worries or questions they have and they get to pursue their interests and hobbies supported by the staff.