The inspection took place on 4 April 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider short notice of our inspection due to the nature of the service. This was so the registered manager could be available to assist us with our inspection.

We last inspected this service in 21 October and 10 November 2015, and found the service was complying with all the regulations and we rated the service as ‘Good.’

During this inspection we found the service remained good and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

The Grove is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The Grove can accommodate up to two people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection one person used the service.

The service has been created by redesigning a part of a large nursing home, Balmoral Court and the provider who operates The Grove is a separate organisation. Flexible Support Options Limited worked in collaboration with the provider of Balmoral Court to ensure the service was well maintained and all checks such as gas and electrical were completed. The staff from The Grove can access Balmoral Court via an internal stairway and need to do this to collect the mail as they don't have a separate mailing address. We noted that when converting the unit the provider had left all of the en-suite facilities in place and this led to communal areas such as lounges being smaller and continuing to resemble bedrooms.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. The goal is that people with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The manager became the registered manager in February 2017. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 person who used the service did not need staff to support them with their personal care but did require assistance to manage their medication, to deal with any deterioration in their physical health condition, and develop the independent living skills. We discussed with the registered manager whether they needed to maintain the registration of the service, as personal care was not being provided. The registered manager told us more people would move to the service and envisaged that in the future they would provide personal care.

Support plans were in place to meet people’s assessed needs. These plans incorporated people’s wishes and preferences about how their support was to be given.

The person told us they were happy and felt the staff were friendly and helpful. Staff told us they assisted the person to organise their day and to join in activities they enjoyed. The person always went out with staff and only stayed in the service by themselves for brief periods such as when staff popped to the local shops. Action was taken to ensure when people were deprived of their liberty appropriate safeguards were put in place. We discussed with the registered manager the current additional restrictions placed on the person and ensuring this was fully outlined in the care records.

Staff had been trained in safeguarding issues and knew how to recognise and report any abuse.

People’s medicines were managed safely.

There were enough staff to meet the person’s needs. Any new staff were appropriately vetted to make sure they were suitable and had the skills to work at the service. The staff were give

We carried out an inspection of The Grove on 21 October & 10 November 2015. The first day of the inspection was unannounced. This was the first time The Grove had been inspected.

The Grove is a two bed care home that provides care and support to people with learning disabilities. Nursing care is not provided. At the time of the inspection there was one person accommodated there.

The service had a registered manager in post, who became formally registered in January 2015. 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 person living at The Grove told us they felt safe and were well cared for. Staff knew about safeguarding vulnerable adults and knew how to deal with appropriately with accidents and incidents, which helped to keep people safe.

We observed staff provided care safely. At the time of our inspection, the levels of staff on duty were sufficient to ensure safe, responsine and effective care. New staff were subject to thorough recruitment checks.

Medicines were managed safely with records completed correctly.

As The Grove is registered as a care home, CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. We found appropriate policies and procedures were in place and the registered manager was familiar with the processes involved in the application for a DoLS. Staff obtained consent before providing care. Arrangements were in place to assess mental capacity and to identify if decisions needed to be taken on behalf of the person in their best interests.

Staff had completed safety and care related training relevant for their role. They were well supported by the registered manager.

Staff kept clear nutritional records and helped support the person’s health needs, working with external professionals where necessary. This ensured the person’s medical needs were met promptly.

Activities were arranged in house and community based activities were also accessed. We observed staff interacting positively with the person living at The Grove. We saw staff were respectful and ensured privacy and dignity were maintained. Staff understood the person’s needs and we saw care plans were person centred.

The person using the service and staff spoke well of the registered manager. We found there were effective systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service, which included feedback from the person receiving care.