Springbank Road provides personal care and support for up to four people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection four people were living in the service.

At our last inspection in June 2015 the service was rated as 'Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager at the time of the inspection. 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 continued to be kept safe by staff who were trained to identify and respond to any suspicions of abuse. Staff assessed people’s risks and developed plans to reduce them. People received their medicines safely from staff who were recruited safely through robust procedures. The service maintained a high state of readiness to respond to an emergency such as a fire.

People continued to receive their care and support form staff who had been inducted and trained and who were supervised by the registered manager and their performances were evaluated. People were treated in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People continued to eat well and were supported to access healthcare services whenever they needed to.

Staff continued to be caring towards people and support people to maintain the relationships that were important to them. People were supported to develop their independence through skills teaching activities around daily living tasks. Staff continued to treat people with respect and to maintain people’s privacy.

People continued to receive care and support that was responsive to their needs. Staff supported people’s changing needs and updated people’s care and support plans. People’s anxieties and behavioural support needs were well managed. Staff supported people to engage in activities of their choosing. The registered manager dealt with people’s complaints appropriately and in a timely manner.

The service continued to be well led. Staff felt supported and communication within the team was open. The provider continued to monitor and audit quality at the service and ensure continuous improvements were made. The service worked closely with health and social care professionals to ensure positive outcomes for people.

Springbank Road provides care, support and accommodation to up to four people with learning disabilities. We last inspected Springbank Road in January 2014. The service met all the regulations we checked at that time.

This unannounced inspection took place on 24 June 2015. Three people were using the service at this time.

Springbank Road 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.

People and their relatives were happy with the service. They received their medicines safely as prescribed and their health needs were met. Staff worked with health professionals such as GPs and psychologists to make sure they fully understood people’s needs. People received the treatment and healthcare they needed to keep as well as possible.

Staff assessed risks to people. They arranged support for people to keep them safe whilst ensuring they were able to be as independent as possible. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and upheld people’s rights in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

There were sufficient staff on duty to ensure people had the support to follow their individual interests. Staff were well-trained and knew people well. They understood how to communicate with each person. People and their relatives were fully involved in planning people’s care and support.

The service was well-led and staff understood how to treat people with dignity and respect. The staff team worked effectively to ensure people had a positive experience of the service. Checks were made on the quality of the service and any necessary improvements were made.

We carried out this visit to review the action taken by the provider in relation to two areas of non-compliance that arose at the previous inspection.

On this visit we found that hazardous cleaning substances were being appropriately stored in a locked cupboard.

We reviewed the care records for several of the people using the service. We found the records were well maintained, and staff were keeping up to date records of monitoring checks, goal outcomes and risk assessments.

We observed that people were treated with care and consideration. The staff asked for people’s consent and acted in accordance with their wishes. We observed that staff offered options, and people gave their verbal consent before they received care and support. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff had a good rapport with the people using the service and understood their non verbal communication.

We saw that people had care records in place, including support plans, risk assessments and goal plans. We observed staff working closely with the people using the service to achieve those goals. The goals plans were up to date however staff were not always documenting the monthly reviews, and a number of the care documents were incomplete.

We were given a tour around the home by one of the people using the service. Each person had their own personalised bedroom, and they shared a comfortable lounge, kitchen/diner and pleasant conservatory which overlooked the garden. The home was in good decorative order. At the time of our visit new stair carpets were being fitted.

Staff told us they felt supported by the provider. They said they received regular supervision and appraisals and had access to relevant training.

We found that there were systems in place to assess the quality of the service, but that some action needed to be taken with regard to health and safety.

We carried out this inspection to see if the service had taken action to address the areas of non compliance we identified at our last inspection of 17 September 2012. At that inspection we found that the provider did not have an effective quality monitoring system in place. The provider told us that monthly visits would be carried out by a member of their strategic management team; and the service manager would ensure issues identified were addressed. At this inspection on 19 December 2012, we found that there were still aspects of the service that were not meeting the required standard.

As this was a follow up to check on the non-compliance identified at our last inspection we did not speak with people using the service on this occasion.

We spoke with all four people at the home. Two people were able to express their views verbally and said how they liked living in a pleasant house. Two people had limited communication and used facial expressions and gestures to respond to staff.

Staff interaction with people living in the home was warm and engaging.

We observed that staff were familiar with the modes of communication and observed them using objects of reference where appropriate to communicate with people.

Staff managed in a sensitive manner communications between people at the home so that they understood and respected each other.

Staff at the home worked closely with community health professionals and followed the recommendations and guidance they provided.