This inspection took place on 21, 23 and 27 September 2016 and was announced. This was to ensure someone would be available to speak with us and show us records. We visited the provider’s office on 21 September 2016 and visited Short Breaks - 7 Edlington Walk on 23 September 2016. We spoke with family members on the telephone on 27 September 2016.

Short Breaks - 7 Edlington Walk was last inspected by CQC on 17 February 2014 and was compliant with the regulations in force at that time.

Short Breaks - 7 Edlington Walk provides respite care and accommodation for up to five people with learning disabilities. On the day of our inspection no-one was staying at the home however there were 29 people who used the service in total.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Staffing levels were sufficient to meet the needs of the people who used the service. An appropriate recruitment and selection procedure was in place and relevant checks were carried out on new staff.

Risks to people’s safety in the event of a fire had been identified and managed and appropriate health and safety checks had been carried out.

Management and staff were aware of their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding vulnerable adults and risk assessments were in place for people who used the service and described potential risks and the safeguards in place.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the administration and storage of medicines and procedures were in place to ensure people received medicines as prescribed.

Staff were suitably trained and training sessions were planned for any due or overdue refresher training. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals.

The registered provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and was following the requirements in the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Staff were aware of people’s individual nutritional needs and supported people regarding their diet.

Family members were complimentary about the standard of care at Short Breaks – 7 Edlington Walk. Staff helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were written in a person centred way. People continued to visit day services while staying at Short Breaks – 7 Edlington Walk and other activities were arranged based on people’s likes and needs.

People who used the service, and family members, were aware of how to make a complaint however there had been no formal complaints recorded at the service.

The service had a positive culture that was person centred, open and inclusive. Family members said the management team were approachable and understanding. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and the management team.

Some policies and procedures were out of date however this was being addressed by the registered provider.

We found Short-breaks at Edlington Walk to be a comfortable respite placement for up to five service users. The service users were encouraged to participate in all aspects of care planning and to make choices in hobbies and activities. We were told “It is brilliant here, the staff are very good to me.”

The care plans were person centred and focused on opportunities to increase the service user’s independence. A person who stays at the home told us “I can go to the shops on my own or I can ask someone to go with me.”

We found the home to be very clean and the people who lived there were encouraged and supported to help clean their rooms and help with their laundry where possible.

The home was maintained to a reasonable standard and all relevant safety checks such as a firesafety check had been carried out.

Staff appeared to be very happy working at the home. We were told that there was always plenty of training and staff felt trained to carry out their job. One person who worked there said “I am able to identify any extra training I may require to help me with my job.”

We spoke to two relatives to discuss their thoughts and opinions about the service. They were very happy about the service provided and told us they had very good communication links with the manager and all the staff. They told us the staff had supplied a copy of their relatives support plan and they were always included in all aspects of their care and support. They told us the support was “Very good.”

Relatives expressed a lot of confidence in the staff and felt they had no problems at all and had no issues or concerns. They advised they had various contact numbers and if needed could use them to raise issues. They told us they have regular chats with the staff and could always discuss “anything” with them.

The service had various information about 7 Edlington Walk including a ‘welcome booklet’; the ‘service user guide’; ‘statement of purpose’ and the ‘complaints procedure’ which were stored within the service. These documents contained a lot of information for anyone who was thinking of using the service for a ‘Short break’ and they have been adapted with the use of pictures to help present information in an easier style to understand. This information helped to keep people informed about the service and the support provided.

We spoke to one person using the service and one relative during this review. Both people gave us very positive feedback about the quality of care provided. The relative said: "The staff here do a very good job, they are very helpful ... we are working together". The person using the service said: "Everything is all right ... I get on ok with all the carers, we go to the pub and have a game of pool". Neither of the people we spoke to had any concerns about the care provided at the home.