The inspection was carried out on 20 and 22 June 2017 and was announced 24 hours in advance of the inspection because the service is small and the people who live there are often out. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Springfield House provides accommodation for up to three people with a learning disability and complex needs. The service uses three individual flats with a shared garden and patio. There were two people living at the service at the time of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People who lived at Springfield House had very limited communication skills, meaning we were unable to gain people’s verbal views on the service. We observed staff interactions and spoke with one person who lived there. We observed that people were relaxed, engaged in their own choice of activities and appeared to be happy and well supported by the service. We also spoke with people’s relatives and staff to understand their experiences.

There was a positive atmosphere within the service and it was noticeable that staff and management put people at the centre of the service. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in the planning of care. Senior management, staff and relatives regularly discussed how to best support people living at the service. There were regular feedback opportunities for people to give their thoughts on how the service was working. This enabled people and their relatives to comment on the service independently. We saw evidence that this was mainly done through email.

Comprehensive quality assurance processes were regularly undertaken to ensure management were aware of how the service was operating, and were able to implement changes to keep the quality of the service high.

People had regular routine access to visiting health and social care professionals where necessary. People attended an annual health check with a GP and had access to specialist medical services to ensure their health needs were met. Professionals told us there was appropriate communication between the service and medical services. We saw clear guidance for staff about how they were to meet people’s needs so that they worked in collaboration. Staff responded to people’s changing health needs and sought the appropriate guidance or care from healthcare professionals when required.

Medicines were managed safely to ensure people received them in accordance with their health needs and the prescriber’s instructions.

Staff had a positive approach to keeping people safe and there was commitment to managing the changing risks in the service. Staff had developed their skills and understanding to appropriately support people when they became stressed or anxious. There were enough staff to keep people safe and properly supported to do the things they enjoyed, such as running and coastal walks.

People’s safety risks were identified, managed and reviewed and staff understood how to keep people safe.

Staff identified and reported any concerns relating to a person’s safety and welfare. The registered manager had a system to respond to all concerns or complaints appropriately.

Rigorous recruitment procedures were used to make sure new staff were safe and competent to work with people at the service. Staff were trained to provide the support individuals needed. A comprehensive system of induction and training was in place. Staff said the training was thorough and gave them confidence to carry out their role effectively. The staff team were supportive of each other and worked together to support people.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff demonstrated they had an excellent knowledge of the people they supported and were able to appropriately support peop