The inspection took place on 21 March 2017. The inspection was unannounced.

The Woodlands is a residential care home based in Stockton. The home provides personal care for people with learning disabilities. It is situated close to the local town centre, amenities and transport links. The service is registered to provide support to ten people and on the day of our inspection there were nine people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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.

We last inspected the service in November 2014 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

The atmosphere of the service was homely with a feel that was warm and welcoming. People who used the service were relaxed in their home environment and relatives who we spoke with told us they felt the service had a homely feel.

We saw staff interacting with people in a person centred and caring way. Person centred is when the person is central to their support and their preferences respected. We spent time observing the support that took place in the service. We saw that people were always respected by staff and treated with kindness. We saw staff being considerate and communicating with people well.

People were supported to maintain their independence as much as possible.

We saw that people were encouraged to enhance their wellbeing on a daily basis by taking part in activities at home and in the community that encouraged and maximised their independence and also contributed positively to the homely atmosphere.

We spoke with care staff who told us they felt well supported and that the registered manager was approachable.

Throughout the day we saw that people who used the service and staff were comfortable, relaxed and had an extremely positive rapport with the registered manager and also with each other.

From looking at people’s care plans we saw they were written in plain English and in a person centred way and they also included a ‘one page profile’ that made use of, personal history and described individuals care, treatment and support needs. These were regularly reviewed; and family members and people were included in the process.

Care plans contained risk assessments. These identified risks and described the measures and interventions to be taken to ensure people were protected from the risk of harm. The care plans we viewed also showed us that people’s health was monitored and referrals were made to other health care professionals where necessary, for example: their GP, community nurse or optician.

Our observations during the inspection showed us that people who used the service were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their individual needs and wishes.

When we looked at the staff training records, they showed us staff were supported and able to maintain and develop their skills through training and development opportunities were accessible at this service. The staff we spoke with confirmed they attended a range of valuable learning opportunities. They told us they had regular supervisions and appraisals with the registered manager, where they had the opportunity to discuss their care practice and identify further mandatory and vocational training needs. We also viewed records that showed us there were robust recruitment processes in place.

We observed how the service administered medicines and how they did this safely. We looked at how records were kept and spoke with the registered manager about how senior staff were trained to administer medicine and we found that the medicine administering pr

We met and spoke with nine of the ten people who used the service. The people we spoke with were complimentary about the staff who supported them and the service. Most of the people had lived at the home for over ten years and one person told us they felt the staff and other people at the home were family. People told us they felt the staff understood their needs and could readily make sure they lived a stimulating life. People told us about the holidays they go on; the trips they go on to the cinemas, to see tribute bands and into the local community.

People told us, “The staff are very good” and “I like the staff and I like it here”.

We saw that one person felt comfortable to take charge of checking that the building was well-maintained. He showed us where a bulb needed changing and we noted that the staff listened to this information.

We found that people's care was planned and delivered in line with their needs. The staff were very knowledgeable about people’s care needs and how to meet them. We noted that the staff team had been very stable and most of the staff had been in post for over four years. We found that the manager made sure the home provided effective care and encouraged staff development.

An on-going programme of redecoration was in place and we saw that this led to the home being maintained to a good standard.

We spoke with four people who used the service and they told us they were happy living at Woodlands. One person told us “I like living here.” Another person told us they were not very happy because they were on holiday for two weeks and could not go to work but they told us the staff would help them while they were off. Another person told us “I am going to Newcastle tomorrow to see the football.” On the day we visited a number of people that used the service had been out bowling and when they returned they told us they had enjoyed the outing.

The visit took place because we were following up issues we had raised during the last inspection in September 2011. During this inspection we spoke with six of the people who lived at the home and focused our conversation on the issues that had been raised previously. People were extremely positive about the service they received and were complimentary about the staff. People said ''The staff really supported when I was going through a rough time'', ''The staff a very good and always help me'' and ''I like it here''. One person told us about their artwork and how they made this out of items from around the house. Another person told us how staff had helped them to develop the skills to go to college on the bus. People also told us about rock concerts they had gone to, and the holidays that the staff were organising for them next year. People said they liked living at the home and it was ‘’a nice place to live’’.

During our inspection visit, the majority of people who used the service were not available to speak to as they were out at work. We were able to speak to one person who used the service. They told us that living at the home was "okay". They told us that they were able to make choices about what they did and told us how they liked to spend their time and about some of the activities they had undertaken in the community. They said some carpets needed replacing and the bathrooms were "not good". They told us that lots of areas in the home needed redecorating.

The first inspection visit took place on the 4th and 6th November 2014 the first day was unannounced.

We last inspected Woodlands on 27th December 2013 and found the service was not in breach of any regulations at that time.

Woodlands is a care home providing care and accommodation for up to10 adults with learning disabilities. The home is a Victorian terraced house situated on Yarm Road in Stockton on Tees.

There is a registered manager in post who has been registered with the Care Quality Commission since October 2014. ‘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.’

Some people who used the service had extremely complex needs. The staff were aware of methods to use in accordance with people’s needs and preferences. This approach reduced people’s levels of anxiety and stress.

There were procedures in place to keep people safe. The service had processes in place to minimise risks to people whilst ensuring their independence was promoted. Staff received safeguarding training and were aware of how to identify and report abuse. People had risk assessments in place to promote safety whilst still allowing independence for activities they enjoyed. There were processes in place to ensure the safe handling of medicines.

Safe recruitment procedures were followed and staff said that they undertook an induction programme which included shadowing an experienced member of staff.

There were positive interactions between people using the service and staff and it was evident staff knew people well. We saw that care was provided with patience and kindness and people’s privacy and dignity were respected. People were supported and encouraged to participate in activities in the community. All relatives and people who used the service were pleased with the care they or their family member received and the staff who provided this.

The registered manager and staff had been trained and had a good knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager understood when an application should be made, and how to submit one. At the time of our inspection they had eight DoLs in place. This meant that people were safeguarded and their human rights respected.

Staff received training to enable them to perform their roles and the service looked at ways to increase knowledge to ensure people’s individual needs were met. Staff had regular supervisions and appraisals to monitor their performance and told us they felt supported by the management team.

All relatives we spoke with found the manager and staff to be approachable and said they always keep them up to date and informed about their family member.