Southview Care Home Limited is a residential care home for up to three people. It specialises in the care of people who have a learning disability and associated conditions such as autism.

Some people who lived in the home had limited communication or focus and used other methods of communication, for example gestures. We therefore used these, observations, care plans and discussed the best way to interact with people with staff who knew them well, to help us understand people and their experience at the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

People remained safe at the service. There were sufficient staff available to meet people's needs and support them with activities and trips out. Risk assessments had been completed to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. This was particularly important for people who may challenge others. People received their medicines safely.

Each individual had a ‘Positive Behaviour Support Plan’ which was compiled on an individual basis, looking at behaviours specific to that individual, what their triggers were, signs for staff to look out for in advance and what staff could do at each level to either prevent further escalation or how to keep the individual and those around them safe.

People continued to receive care from staff who had the skills and knowledge required to effectively support them. Staff were competent and well trained. People had the support needed to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff and people had access to a variety of healthcare professionals according to their individual needs.

Staff were very caring and people had built strong relationships with the staff. We observed staff being patient and kind, understanding how people liked to live as well as providing on-going opportunities to try new activities and maintain wellbeing. People's privacy was respected. People where possible, or their representatives, were very involved in decisions about the care and support people received.

The service remained responsive to people's individual needs and provided personalised care and support. People were able to make choices as much as possible in their day to day lives. There had been no complaints since the last inspection and the complaint process ensured any complaints would be fully investigated and responded to. People were supported to take part in a wide range of activities and trips out according to their individual interests.

The service continued to be well led. The provider was currently the registered manager but they were in the process of supporting the deputy manager to register as registered manager. People and staff told us the registered manager and current deputy manager were approachable and there was always a manager available for support. The registered manager/provider sought people's views to make sure people were at the heart of any changes within the home and regularly enabled them to have time to discuss any issues. The registered manager/provider had monitoring systems which enabled them to identify good practices and areas of improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We met and spoke to all the people who used the service, spoke to staff about the care given and looked at the care records of the three people using the service. We looked at other records and observed staff working with people. We saw staff speak to people in a way that demonstrated a good understanding of people's choices and preferences. We saw that the staff had a good understanding of people's individual needs and that they respected people’s privacy and dignity.

During our visit to the home we saw sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of people living in the home. The staff confirmed they were supported by the registered provider through supervisions and team meetings.

We saw that people's personal support plans described their needs and how those needs were met. We saw records that showed that best interest meetings had been arranged, for example to determine whether a particular medical procedure was in a person’s best interest when they lacked capacity to make the decision themself.

We saw that medication was administered by the staff on duty. People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to administer and record medication.

We saw that Southview held records securely to protect people’s confidentiality.

We met both the people who used services, spoke to the two staff members on duty, and checked the provider's records. We spoke to staff about the care given, looked at the care records of both people, looked at other records and observed staff working with people.

We saw that staff treated people with consideration and respect. For example, everyone was going out to a party on the evening of our visit and one person was particularly excited. We observed that the staff responded to this person with patience and kindness at all times.

We saw and heard staff speak to people in a way that demonstrated a good understanding of people's choices and preferences. They had a good understanding of what constituted abuse, and knew where they should go to report any suspicions they may have.

One person living in the home said, “The staff are very good to me”.

Some of the people living in Southview care home have limited communication and were unable to communicate well with us but we were able to speak to all the people currently living in the home. However, we did observed the interaction between them and the staff working in the home

During our visit we observed people enjoying their activities, going about their everyday routines and interacting positively with the staff supporting them.

A relative survey sent to the home said, “The care received by my son is second to none. This is reflected in how happy he has been since he moved to Southview, Excellent”.

The inspection took place on 13 & 15 August 2015 and was unannounced. Southview Care Home provides care and accommodation for up to three people with learning disabilities. On the day of our visit three people were living in the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. The registered manager is also the registered provider. Registered providers 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.

We met and spoke to all three people during our visits. We observed people and staff were relaxed in each other’s company and there was a calm atmosphere. Some of the people who lived in the service were not able to fully verbalise their views so people used other methods of communication, for example signs and gestures to aid communication and make choices. People told us they liked living in the home. One person said they spoke to the registered manager or staff if they had any concerns. This person, when asked, told us they felt safe. Staff knew people well and had the knowledge to be able to support people effectively.

Staff had undertaken training on safeguarding adults from abuse, they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff felt confident any allegations or concerns would be fully investigated.

People’s medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed and received them on time. Staff were appropriately trained and understood what the medicines were for. They understood the importance of safe administration and management of medicines. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to health and social care professionals, such as speech and language therapists and social workers.

When people were asked about the care and support they received, those able, responded positively. People responded with a smile indicating they were happy with the staff support when asked and we observed this to be the case. Care records were comprehensive and personalised to meet each person’s needs. Staff understood people’s individual needs and responded quickly when a person required assistance. People were involved as much as possible with their care records to say how they liked to be supported. People were offered choice and their preferences were respected.

People living in the service could be at high risk due to their individual needs and additional support was offered when accessing the community when needed. People’s risks were well managed and documented. People were monitored when required to help ensure they remained safe. People lived active lives and were supported to sample a range of activities. Activities were discussed and planned with people’s interests in mind.

People enjoyed the meals offered and they had access to snacks and drinks at all times. People were involved in planning menus, food shopping and preparing meals and were encouraged to say if meals were not to their liking.

People did not have full capacity to make all decisions for themselves, therefore staff made sure people had their legal rights protected and worked with others in their best interest. People’s safety and liberty were promoted.

Staff said the registered manager was very supportive and approachable and worked in the home regularly. Staff talked positively about their roles. Comments included; “[…] (the registered manager) is very hands on, she knows what’s going on.”

People were protected by safe recruitment procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to support people safely and ensure everyone had opportunities to take part in activities. Staff received an induction programme. Staff had completed appropriate training and had the right skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.

People had access to healthcare professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment to meet their health care needs such as hospital consultants and GPs. Staff acted on the information given to them by professionals to ensure people received the care they needed to remain safe.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place. Any significant events were appropriately recorded and analysed. Evaluations of incidents were used to help make improvements and ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the home. People met with staff on a one to one basis and were able to raise concerns. Feedback was sought from people living in the home, relatives, professionals and staff.