The Rambles care home is a residential care home that provides support for up to six adults with learning disabilities. On the day of our inspection there were four people resident in the home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service had met all relevant fundamental standards and remained rated as Good.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Risks to people were assessed and where required a risk management plan was in place to support people manage an identified risk and keep the person safe.

Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet people’s needs and this ensured people were supported safely. Staff completed training to ensure they were suitably skilled to perform their role. Staff were supported through a supervision programme

People were supported to maintain good health and had access to external health care professionals when required.

Staff were caring towards people and there was a good relationship between people and staff. Staff demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the needs and preferences of the people they cared for.

Support provided to people met their needs. Care plans provided information about what was important to people and how to support them. People were involved in activities of their choice.

There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. Staff described the registered manager as supportive and approachable. Comments from surveys and compliments received by the service confirmed that people were happy with the service and the support received.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

The Rambles Care Home provides care and accommodation for up to six adults with learning disabilities who have complex support needs. Four people were living at the home at the time of the inspection. This was an unannounced inspection, which meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law, as does the provider.

We found the service was safe for people, both in terms of their physical safety and in ensuring their rights were protected. Staff had got to know the people at the home well. This helped to ensure support was provided in ways which people liked and met their needs.

Staff received training which helped them to do their jobs well. They felt supported by the home’s manager and they worked well as a team. One staff member told us the staff team "Share the same values." This meant that people at the home received consistent support from staff who understood their roles.

Each person had an individual support plan which reflected their current needs. Staff were well informed about people’s health care needs and the support people required to stay healthy. Records contained guidance for staff so that unforeseen incidents affecting people would be responded to.

One person at the home commented "I like it here" and "I like talking to the staff". Staff responded to people in a friendly and respectful way. Staff sought to obtain people’s views and to involve them in planning their support. There was a thoughtful approach to supporting people with social activities. In recent months, people had attended local events as part of ‘summer road trip’.

Systems were in place for monitoring the service. Different methods were being tried to ensure that the views of people at the home were taken into account.

The people we met and talked with were positive about the staff and the way they were supported by them. One person told us, “it’s good here."

We reviewed three people's care plans so we could find out how people were supported with their care needs. We saw people had individual care plans which described their preferences and routines. We saw the plans were well maintained by the staff team. We asked people about the care and support that they received. People told us, "the staff help me."

We saw the premises were well maintained. The toilets were clean and hygienic and all communal areas were tidy and organised. A staff member told us,” we all take responsibility for cleaning the house and we support people to clean their rooms.”

People told us they knew how to make a complaint and were confident the manager would resolve any complaint they had.

There were four people living at the home on the day of our inspection. Three of the four people living at the home had complex needs and were unable to tell us about their experience of living at the home. We used observation and spoke with staff to get an insight into people’s experience.

One person we spoke with told us they liked living at the home and they liked the staff. They told us that they enjoyed going out and confirmed that staff took them out regularly.

The staff we spoke with demonstrated that they had a good knowledge of people’s needs and how they liked to be supported.

We found that staffing levels in the home were appropriate for the needs of the people who lived at the home. We were told by the staff that staffing levels at the home had been increased for a short period to suit the individual needs of a person living at the home.

People living at the home were encouraged to be independent and they were involved in planning their activities and how they spent their time.

Care and support delivered by the home was tailored to people’s individual needs.

People were supported to make complaints and could be confident that these would be listened to and dealt with appropriately.

People at The Rambles have different modes of communication therefore not all of them were able to tell us about what it is like to live in the home. We received some short comments. “I like living here and I am very happy”, “everyone is kind to me” and “I get to do what I like to do and the staff help me”. We saw other people who have no verbal communication skills receiving support and looking relaxed at ease with the staff who looking after them.

One person told us “I do not have to do things I don’t like”.

When we visited the home we found that the people living in the home appeared to be relaxed and there was a good rapport with those staff on duty. The staff were attentive to people’s needs and acted appropriately. All staff demonstrated a good understanding of each person’s needs and how each person liked to be cared for.