About the service: Woodpecker Lodge is a care home for people with learning disabilities and mental health needs providing accommodation and personal care for up to seven people.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us the registered manager and staff were kind, friendly and fun and looked after them well. They said they felt safe and enjoyed living at Woodpecker Lodge and staff respected their privacy and promoted their dignity.

People were supported by staff who had been recruited safely, appropriately trained and supported. Staffing levels were sufficient and staff appropriately deployed to provide safe care. They had skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.

People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts in line with their assessed needs. Meal times were relaxed and organised around people's individual daily routines.

Medicines were managed safely and according to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

Care planning involved people, gave them choice and staff guidance in how to provide care that met people's needs. Staff supported people to manage risks and to stay safe. So they had maximum choice and control of their lives, staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. They had opportunities to be involved in voluntary work, hobbies and interests of their choice. They told us they felt involved and listened to about how their care would be provided.

Staff worked in partnership with other organisations to ensure they followed good practice and

people in their care were safe. People were supported to attend healthcare appointments to ensure their health and wellbeing was maintained. Staff understood the importance of supporting people to have a comfortable, pain free and peaceful end of life. Their end of life wishes were recorded so staff were fully aware of these.

The registered provider and the registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service and seek people’s views.

There was a complaints procedure which was made available to people and there representatives. The people we spoke with told us they had no complaints and were supported as they wanted at Woodpecker Lodge.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (Report published 28 April 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated overall good.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme or if any issues or concerns are identified.

This inspection was carried out on 3 February 2016 and was unannounced.

Woodpecker Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for up to seven people who live with a learning disability.

At the time of our inspection there were five 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.

People felt they received care and support that met their needs. Staff treated everyone with dignity and respect and were kind and caring. We saw that people had positive relationships with staff and the atmosphere in the home was calm and relaxed. They felt they got the support they needed when they needed it by staff that knew their needs. People told us that they were supported to take their medicines when they needed them. We found that their medicines were managed safely.

People had access to other health professionals and were referred to them by the registered manager if there were any concerns about their health needs. Where recommendations had been made by other professionals regarding people’s diet or health needs these had been acted upon.

People told us that they were able to make choices regarding their care and support. They received care that was centred on them as individuals and people’s independence and freedom of choice were promoted and supported. People were able to make choices about what they wanted to eat and drink. They told us that the food was good and we saw that people had choice of fresh nutritious food.

Staff were supported and had access to regular training and supervision. Where needed staff had more specific training around people’s complex health needs. Staff felt that they were able to contact the registered manager or provider at any time if they needed support or guidance.

People were kept safe from harm by staff who knew how to recognise and report any concerns about people’s safety. There were enough staff on duty to respond to people’s health needs at the times when they needed support. The provider completed checks to ensure staff were suitable and safe to work at the home.

People found the staff and management approachable, willing to listen to their views and opinions. People were aware of how to complain and who to complain to. Feedback from the people that lived there was gathered on a regular basis and any areas identified for action were acted upon. Also a range of audits and checks were completed regularly to ensure that good standards were maintained. People were encouraged to be actively involved in the running of the home through regular meetings.

People told us they liked living at the home and felt they were well supported. We found that people were encouraged to be independent, be involved in activities of their choice and access local community facilities. One person told us, “Yes, I am still happy here” another said, “We all take it in turns with jobs so it is fair”.

People told us they felt able to choose how to spend their time and give their views at the regular meetings. People all had a care plan and these had been regularly reviewed. The family of a new person told us they had been fully involved in the assessment and care planning process. They told us, “X has settled in and is doing so many activities such as trampoline and swimming”.

There was a consistent staff team that were suitably trained and felt well supported. The staff team knew people and their preferences well. The team sought input from external professionals when needed.

The senior management of the home had remained stable. The manager and provider formally monitored the quality of the service. There were effective leadership arrangements in place to manage the care service and monitor health and safety risks.

When we visited we met six of the people who lived there. We found that people were well presented and the staff engaged pleasantly with them seeking their co-operation and consent for daily living tasks and planned activities.

We found that people were supported in promoting their independence and community involvement. Their diversity, values and human rights were respected. People told us they were very happy with the support they received which helped them be as independent as possible. They felt safe and were able to raise any concerns they had.

We looked at staff training records and spoke to two staff to get their views. They felt the staffing levels allowed them to spend time with people and they were well supported and trained.