This inspection took place on 13 February 2017 and was announced. This was the first inspection of this service since it became registered with CQC in March 2015.

Stonecroft is a service which provides short stays (respite) to younger adults who are living with a learning disability and some complex health conditions. It is registered to support up to five people at any one time. The provider told us they had taken the decision not to support any more than four people as they felt this worked better for the young people who accessed the service. Stonecroft was referred to by the people using it and staff as ‘The Hotel’. The registered manager told us this helped people to understand it was a break for them. The Hotel was situated above the a day service (an unregulated service) which was run by the provider and was separate to the day service.

A registered manager was in post. 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. The registered manager was also a director of the company and the nominated individual.

People were safeguarded from harm as the provider had systems in place to prevent, recognise and report any suspected signs of abuse. Medicines were managed safely and risks associated with people’s needs had been assessed with plans developed to mitigate such risks. People could be confident they were being cared for by staff appropriate to do so because the provider operated safe recruitment processes and ensured there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs.

Staff felt well supported and received the training they required to effectively support people. People had access to a range of health and social care professionals and staff acted on specialist advice given when planning and delivering care and support.

Staff knew their responsibilities as defined by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA 2005) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and had applied that knowledge appropriately. They understood the importance of obtaining people's consent when supporting them with their daily living needs.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and demonstrated kind, compassionate care. They were involved in decisions about their care and support. A person centred service was provided where people could decide how they spent their time while at The Hotel. Care plans reflected people’s needs and staff responded well to people.

A complaints policy was in place and people knew how to use this if they needed to. The provider responded appropriately to complaints.

The registered manager and director were visible in the service and were consistently described in a positive manner. Systems were in place to use information gathered to learn lessons and make improvements where needed.