We inspected The Granary on 23 May 2017. The Granary is a small, family run service that supports younger adults affected by learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. The support provided can range from a few hours each week to twenty four hour support for all aspects of daily living. At the time of this inspection five people were supported by the service. Four people lived together in a shared house, a supported living accommodation and one person lived in their own house.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. 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 promoted a person centred culture that was open and empowering. People benefitted from a team of motivated and committed staff that put people at the centre of the service delivery. The registered manager ensured people’s views mattered in the day to day running of the service their views were sought and valued. There was a strong emphasis on maintaining excellent communication within the service.

The registered manager had good systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and where required they acted to improve the service. The registered provider worked effectively with external agencies and other health and social care professionals to provide holistic and consistent care to people.

People told us they felt safe. Staff knew how to report safeguarding concerns and were aware of the provider’s whistle blowing policy. People’s care plans contained detailed risk assessments that covered various areas of their daily living. Where people were at risk, their records outlined management plans on how to keep them safe. There was a string emphasis on positive risk taking. People were supported to maintain their nutritional needs and access health services as needed.

There were sufficient staff to keep people safe and the provider ensured safe recruitment practices were followed. This helped the registered manager make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. Staff were skilled and knowledgeable about what was expected of them and had relevant experience. Staff were well supported, highly motivated and enthusiastic about working with people.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and report on what we find. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People benefitted from compassionate staff that they built meaningful, caring relationships with. People’s dignity and privacy were respected. People were supported to be as independent as possible. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s abilities and preferences, and were aware about how to best support people in a way that met their individual needs.

People were involved in writing their support plans and the records were detailed and updated when people’s needs changed. People were supported to lead their lives as they wanted. Staff supported and encouraged people to pursue with their education, job placements and leisure activities that contributed to people’s self-esteem and confidence.

Information on how to complain was available to people and people knew how to raise concern. People had opportunities to voice their opinion about the service in a number of ways and their views were valued and considered.