This inspection was unannounced and was undertaken over two days. The first visit was on 3 February 2017. We returned to complete the inspection on 6 February 2017. We last inspected the service in June 2015 and rated it as Good.

Thorne House is a care home providing support for up to 18 people living with learning disabilities. The home is set in its own grounds and has accessible garden spaces. The home is divided in to 5 apartments. At the time of our visit there were 17 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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 service was outstandingly responsive and celebrated people’s achievements in a way that helped people to grow in confidence, maturity and skills. Staff had successfully promoted people’s independence, so that some people had become much more independent, and had much richer lives.

People’s needs were assessed and care and support was well planned, and delivered in line with their individual support plan. The support plans were person centred and some included photographs and pictures to assist the person to understand their plan.

Relationships and the communication within the home were positive, enabling and therapeutic. People had their own interests and hobbies and took part in many activities and events of their choosing.

People’s care and support was planned and delivered in a way that made sure they were safe. The support plans we looked at included risk assessments, which identified any risk associated with people’s care. We saw risk assessments helped minimise and monitor the risk.

Staff had a clear understanding of safeguarding adults and what action they would take if they suspected abuse.

There were enough staff with the right skills, knowledge and experience to meet people’s needs.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The staff we spoke with had a good knowledge of this topic and said they would speak to the registered manager for further advice.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient to maintain a balanced diet. Meals were appropriately spaced throughout the day with snacks in-between. Meals were flexible to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

People were supported to maintain good health, have access to healthcare services and received on going healthcare support. We looked at people’s records and found they had received support from healthcare professionals when required.

People who used the service were supported to maintain their family relationships and friendships.

The service had a complaints procedure and people knew how to raise concerns. We noted that there had been more compliments than complaints.

Staff and relatives we spoke with felt the service was well led and the registered manager was approachable and listened to them. There was an open and transparent management of the service, with very comprehensive checks and audits to maintain the quality. The service maintained good and clear records. We noted that there was good partnership working.

Although the apartments were homely, in some places the environment and décor was in need of attention and refurbishment and this was acknowledged by the management team.

The inspection took place on 16 June 2015 and was unannounced.

Thorne House is a care home providing support for up to 18 people living with learning disabilities. At the time of our visit there were 16 people living at the service. The home is set in its own grounds and has accessible garden spaces. The home is divided in to 5 apartments.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

We spoke with staff who had a clear understanding of safeguarding adults and what action they would take if they suspected abuse. Staff we spoke with were confident the manager would act appropriately to safeguard people from abuse.

We saw that people’s care and support was planned and delivered in a way that made sure they were safe. The support plans we looked at included risk assessments, which identified any risk associated with people’s care. We saw risk assessments had been devised to help minimise and monitor the risk.

We spoke with staff and people who used the service and found there were enough staff with the right skills, knowledge and experience to meet people’s needs.

People were supported to have their assessed needs, preferences and choices met by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The staff we spoke with had a good knowledge of this and said they would speak to the registered manager for further advice.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient to maintain a balanced diet. Meals were appropriately spaced throughout the day with snacks in-between. Meals were flexible to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

People were supported to maintain good health, have access to healthcare services and received on going healthcare support. We looked at people’s records and found they had received support from healthcare professionals when required.

People who used the service were supported to maintain their family relationships and friendships. Support plans included information about their family and friends and those who were important to them. We saw that people had their own interests and hobbies and took part in several activities and events on a weekly basis.

We saw staff were aware of people’s needs and the best ways to support them, whilst maintaining their independence.

People’s needs were assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual support plan. The support plans were person centred and some included pictures to assist the person to understand their plan. Support plans included information about healthcare, communication, personal hygiene, mobility and activities.

The service had a complaints procedure and people knew how to raise concerns. We noted that there had been more compliments than complaints.

Staff we spoke with felt the service was well led and the registered manager was approachable and listened to them. Staff knew their role within the organisation and the role of others. They knew what was expected of them and took accountability at their level.