Summer Cottage is registered to provide care and accommodation for two people, and at the time of the inspection there were two people living there. People living at Sunset Cottage are young adults who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder.

This inspection took place on 20 June 2017 and was unannounced.

Summer Cottage is registered under the provider name of Dalskats limited, and operates under a brand name of “Home Orchard”, along with three other local services. One of the other services is registered under a partnership, but remains under the brand name of Home Orchard. The three other services and Summer Cottage share some administrative facilities, records and management systems, and are all located within approximately 400 yards of each other. The services work closely together; staff work between the services by agreement and people living in each service mix socially and share some day activities. One of the services, Palace Farm, operates as a small holding with horses, sheep and growing vegetable crops.

The service 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. The registered manager is also a director of the company.

Summer Cottage and Dalskats Limited had a clear ethos and philosophy which was shared among the staff and management team. Senior staff operated clear and effective oversight of the home. This helped ensure people received consistent care and staff received the support and guidance needed to enable them to carry out their role working with people in line with good practice.

People were protected from the risk of abuse as staff understood the signs of abuse and how to report concerns. Policies, procedures and information were available to help staff in raising any concerns, including in an easy read format. Staff were friendly and positive in their relationships with people, and we saw people seeking support and reassurance from staff during the inspection.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and ensure they could lead a full and active life. People at the home were supported by one to one staffing levels throughout the day, which meant people could follow activities and lifestyles of their choice. Staff recruitment systems were robust, and ensured people were not cared for by staff who were unsuitable to be supporting people who may be vulnerable. Staff had the skills and support they needed to ensure people’s care needs were met. Staff received training that helped them understand the experiences of people living at the service and how to support them. They also had training in core areas such as first aid and healthcare conditions such as epilepsy. Staff worked well as a team.

People’s healthcare was promoted. The service worked with other agencies and professionals to ensure specialist support was provided when needed. This included specialist help to reduce people’s anxiety regarding healthcare and ‘hospital passports’ to provide information for hospital staff about how to support the person in an unfamiliar environment. People’s medicines were stored securely and people received their medicines as prescribed to promote their health.

People were supported to take risks to ensure they were able to have opportunities to live a full and active life. Risks to people from activities, support, their healthcare needs or the environment were identified and plans were put in place to minimise these risks.

People’s rights were respected. Staff had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how it worked in practice to support people’s rights and decision making. Where people lacked capacity to make an informed decision, staff