This inspection took place on 25 September 2017 and was unannounced. This is the first inspection of Sunnywell.

Sunnywell is a service for 15 people with learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection 12 people were using the service.

The service had 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 felt safe living at Sunnywell. We saw they were comfortable with the staff who supported them and people told us they could talk to their personal worker, other members of staff and the manager if they had any concerns.

Risks to people had been identified, assessed and managed through the care planning process. Within people’s care plans there was guidance around how people’s needs should be met. People had person centred activity programmes that identified what they were doing throughout the day and included what people did at home and what they did when they went out.

Medicines were usually managed safely; additional checks were being introduced to make sure people had an adequate supply of medicines and topical creams were applied effectively. People were involved in the planning, preparation and cooking of meals. We reviewed menus and saw most of the time these were varied and nutritionally balanced.

We saw from people’s records they attended regular health appointments. The provider was liaising with health professionals because people did not have up to date health action plans. We have made a recommendation about plans for what help a person needs to stay fit and well. Staff we spoke with understood their responsibilities around the MCA and confirmed they had attended training. People were encouraged to make decisions and where a person lacked capacity to make decisions appropriate systems were in place to support them.

Staffing arrangements were appropriate and systems were in place for allocating workers to support people on an individual basis. Staff received training and supervision to help them understand how to deliver appropriate care. Staff had a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities. They told us they enjoyed working at Sunnywell and felt well supported.

The registered manager was knowledgeable about the service and had a clear vision for development and improvement. We received positive feedback about the registered manager and the management team who supported them. People were encouraged to share their views and put forward suggestions. People who used the service and staff attended regular meetings. The provider had effective quality management systems. They told us they would develop medicine auditing to make sure they picked up similar issues to those identified at the inspection.