About the service

Speedwell Court provides housing provision, support and practical assistance to 10 people with autism. On the day of our visit there were 9 people living at this unit and 2 people who were receiving support with personal care. Speedwell House is an "extra care" housing provision operated by Origin Housing. There are 25 flats available for rental. At the time of this inspection Origin housing did not provide personal care to any of the tenants in Speedwell House.

Not everyone using the service receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided

People’s experience of using this service

People told us people they were very happy living at the scheme because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff.

People praised the managers of the service and agreed that they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the registered manager. The provider employed enough staff to make sure people’s need were met in a timely way.

The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service and keeping people safe. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.

Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff knew people well. Staff managed the risks to people’s health and welfare.

People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Care plans contained detailed information about each person’s individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and we found evidence of good outcomes for people. When people did not have the capacity to make their own decisions, staff maximised their involvement and made decisions in their best interests, in accordance with legislation.

Staffing levels were enough to meet people’s needs. Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.

People continued to receive a service that was responsive to their individual needs and preferences. Most people had complex needs and staff involved other professionals, to ensure they gained a full understanding of the factors influencing each person and further developed an individualised approach to their care. They had access to a range of activities and were encouraged to participate in events in the local community.

The managers of the service actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the scheme and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.

The provider had a number of systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection we rated this service Good. The report was published on11 October 2016.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor this service.

This inspection took place on the 6 September 2016 and was announced. We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming This was the first inspection since the service was registered in August 2014.

Speedwell Court provides housing provision, support and practical assistance to 10 people with autism. On the day of our visit there were 9 people living at this unit and 2 people who were receiving support with personal care. Speedwell House is an "extra care" housing provision operated by Origin Housing. There are 25 flats available for rental. 5 flats were occupied by people with learning disabilities and the other 20 by older people. At the time of this inspection Origin housing did not provide personal care to any of the tenants in Speedwell House. The Care Quality Commission regulates the personal care service provided to tenants. On the day of our inspection there were two people receiving a personal care service.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since the service opened. 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’s needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support people required. People said they were involved in their care planning and were happy to express their views or raise concerns. When people’s needs changed, this was quickly identified and prompt, appropriate action was taken to ensure people’s well-being was protected.

People felt safe. Staff understood how to recognise the signs and symptoms of potential abuse and told us they would report any concerns they may have to their manager. Assessments were undertaken to assess any risks to the people using the service and the staff supporting them. This included environmental risks and any risks due to people’s health and support needs. The risk assessments we viewed included information about action to be taken to minimise these risks.

Staff were motivated and proud to work for the service; as a result staff turnover was kept to a minimum ensuring that continuity of care was in place for people who used the service.

Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity. Staff told us they gave people privacy whilst they undertook aspects of personal care, asking people how they would like things done and making enquiries as to their well-being to ensure people were comfortable.

Support staff received regular supervision and appraisal from their manager. These processes gave staff an opportunity to discuss their performance and identify any further training they required. Support workers we spoke with placed a high value on their supervision.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff to care for the number of people living at the service.

We saw that regular visits had been made by the office staff to people using the service and their relatives in order to obtain feedback about the staff and the care provided.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that as far as possible people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the MCA.The application procedures for this in care homes and hospitals are called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).We found that the