The inspection visit took place on 8 and 12 September 2016. The visit was unannounced.

Woodlands is a residential home which provides care to people with learning difficulties. It is registered to provide care for up to six people. At the time of our inspection there were four people living at the home.

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. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Relatives we spoke with said they thought the home was safe for their family members. Staffing levels were sufficient to protect people's safety. Staff had been trained in safeguarding (protecting people from abuse) and understood their responsibilities in this area.

People's risk assessments provided staff with information on how to support people safely but these were not always followed. People's prescribed medicines had been supplied to them to support their health needs.

Staff had been trained to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people's needs.

Staff understood their main responsibility under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to allow, as much as possible, people to have an effective choice about how they lived their lives. The provider had followed proper procedures to ensure decisions were made in people's best interests.

People had plenty to eat and drink and their choices and preferences were taken into account when providing food to them.

People's health care needs had been protected by referrals to health care professionals when necessary.

Relatives thought staff were caring and friendly to their family members. We saw many examples of staff working with people in a friendly and caring way, although we witnessed a situation where this had not been the case.

People and their representatives were involved in making decisions about their care, treatment and support.

Care plans were individual to the people using the service and covered their health and social care needs.

Activities were organised to provide stimulation for people and they took part in activities in the community if they chose.

Relatives told us they would tell staff if they had any concerns and were confident these would be followed up.

Relatives and staff were satisfied with how the service was run by the registered manager.

Management carried out audits and checks to ensure the home was running properly to meet people's needs, though not all essential issues had been audited.

We saw that staff had warm relationships with people and they were respectful in their communications. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about individual preferences and were able to explain how they ensured that people were given choices and understood the support and care provided. People using the service appeared calm and contented in their surroundings and we saw relationships with staff were friendly and respectful. One person told us “I like living here”. A relative we spoke with said they were very pleased with the care provided to their family member and said “It’s a marvellous place”.

We found the service had policies and procedures in place to safeguard people from abuse and their finances were properly managed.

We found there were enough staff to meet individual needs and people's views were taken into consideration when assessing and monitoring the quality of the service.

We spoke to the five people who live at Woodlands to ask for their views on the care that they received. Although the people we spoke to had limited verbal communication they were all able to indicate that they liked living at Woodlands. We also spoke to one health professional visiting the Woodlands and three staff members.

We found that people were involved in discussions about their needs and care. One person said that they like to get up in the morning at 7am and have bacon and eggs for breakfast. We found that people's views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care. The privacy, dignity and independence of people using the service were respected.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. A visiting health professional told us that they “had no concerns. The people are looked after well”.

We found that people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained.

We spoke to some of the people who live at Woodlands to ask for their opinion on the care that they received. Although the people spoken to had limited verbal communication they were all able to indicate that they liked living at Woodlands. One person told us that they liked it when staff took them out into the town and the local pub.

We observed staff talking with people in a polite and respectful manner. We heard staff talking with people in a manner that was consistent with the information recorded in the care plans we checked.

Our observations showed that residents were interacting confidently with staff and were comfortable in their surroundings.