Yewdale Farm provides accommodation and personal care to nine people who have a learning disability. Seven people were living at the service on the day of our inspection.

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector. At the last inspection on 5 February 2015 the service was rated as ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

A registered manager was in post at the time of the inspection. 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.

Systems were in place to manage risks to people using the service and to keep them safe. This included assisting people safely with their mobility and whilst out in the community.

There was sufficient numbers of staff on duty to safely assist and support people. The recruitment and selection procedure ensured that only suitable staff were recruited to work with people using the service.

The registered manager and staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to have choice and control over their lives as much as possible. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s needs were assessed, so that their care was planned and delivered in a consistent way. The management staff and care staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and knew their care needs well. Staff offered people choices such as how they spent their day and the meals they wished to eat. These choices were respected and actioned by staff.

People experienced a good quality of life because staff received training that gave them the right skills and knowledge to meet their needs. People were supported and assisted with their daily routines, shopping and accessing places of their choice in the community.

People received appropriate support to maintain a healthy diet and be able to choose and help prepare meals they preferred. People had access to a range of health care professionals, when they needed them.

Staff were clear about the values of the service in relation to providing people with compassionate care in a dignified and respectful manner. Staff knew what was expected of them and staff supported people in a respectful and dignified manner during our inspection.

The provider had processes in place to assess, monitor and improve the service. People had been consulted about how they wished their care to be delivered and their choices had been respected. People, their relatives and staff were provided with the opportunity to give their feedback about the quality of the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Yewdale Farm is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to nine people. Nursing care is not provided. There were nine people living at the home when we visited.

This unannounced inspection was carried out on 05 February 2015. The last inspection took place on 06 June 2014, during which we found the regulations were being met.

At the time of our inspection a registered manager was in place. 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 Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and report on what we find. We found that people’s rights were being protected as DoLS applications were in progress where required and had been submitted to the relevant local authorities.

People who lived in the home were assisted by staff in a way that supported their safety and that they were treated respectfully. There were health care and support plans in place to ensure that staff had guidance to meet people’s individual care needs. The care and support plans recorded people’s individual choices, their likes and dislikes and the assistance they required. Risks to people who lived in the home were identified and assessed to enable people to live as safely and independently as possible.

Staff cared for people in a kind, cheerful and sensitive way. Staff assisted people with personal care, activities/hobbies, cooking and domestic tasks throughout our visit to the home.

Members of staff were trained to provide care which met people’s individual needs and wishes. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. They were supported by the registered manager to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge through regular supervision, appraisals and ongoing training.

People and their relatives felt able to raise any suggestions or concerns they might have with the registered manager. People felt listened to and reported that communications with the registered manager and members of staff were open and very good.

Arrangements were in place to ensure that the quality of the service provided for people was regularly monitored. People who lived in the home and their relatives were encouraged to share their views and feedback about the quality of the care and support provided.

An adult social care inspector carried out this this inspection on 06 June 2014. The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

As part of this inspection we spoke with four people who used the service, two family members of people who use the service, the registered manager and four members of care staff. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service which included two care plans, daily records, medication administration records staff training records and quality assurance monitoring records.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at

Is the service safe?

Risk assessments regarding people’s individual needs and activities were carried out and arrangements were in place to minimise potential dangers. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in making sure people were protected from the risk of abuse. The provider ensured that all staff were kept up to date with safeguarding training and accompanying reporting procedures. The premises were well maintained and met the needs of people living in the home.

Is the service effective?

We found that carers were knowledgeable about people’s individual care and support needs. Observations we made during our inspection confirmed that the care staff provided friendly and consistent support when assisting people with personal care. People were also able to make choices regarding how they wished to spend time during the day either at home, or when accessing facilities in the wider community.

Is the service caring?

Observations made during our inspection showed that people received warm, consistent and respectful support from care staff and they were enabled to make choices and changes when required. One person told us that “I really like living here.” Staff told us that they were very well supported and supervised by the manager and senior staff so that they could provide safe care and support to people.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that people’s personal care and social support needs were assessed and met. This also included people’s individual choices and preferences as to how they liked to be supported. We observed that people could make changes to their support and had been involved in reviews of their support as much as possible. We saw that regular reviews were in place to update people’s care and support needs.

Is the service well led?

The home was effectively managed and staff told us that they felt well supported and were regularly trained to safely provide care and support. Observations made during our inspection showed that staff were responsive and attentive so that people were supported consistently and safely. Health and safety checks were in place to monitor the services provided. The service gathered opinions from people who used the service, their relatives and staff to identify any improvements that could be made to the service.

The majority of people that we met with during our inspection on 22 May 2013 were not able to tell us about the care and support they received whilst living in the home, due to their complex needs. However, observations made during our visit showed that people were satisfied and happy with the care and the attention they received from care staff.

Care and support was being regularly reviewed to ensure that peoples’ needs were met. There was evidence of people’s involvement in the planning of their care and support. However, some improvements were needed to the reviewing and completion of some care documentation.

The premises were kept clean and were generally well maintained to meet the needs of people.

There were appropriate recruitment procedures in place to ensure that only staff that were suitable to work with vulnerable people were employed.

The home had an effective system to effectively deal with complaints.. People regularly had access to staff to resolve any concerns that they had.

During our inspection of Yewdale Farm one person showed us his bedroom which had been decorated and furnished to meet his personal wishes and preferences. The person indicated that they were happy with their room and could have personal belongings and furnishings.

Although some people did not verbally tell us their views about living in the home, we observed that there was a happy rapport between staff and people living at Yewdale Farm, with care and support being provided sensitively managed by staff. The atmosphere in the home was positive and social with people cheerfully engaged with staff.

We spoke with one person using the service who said that he was very happy living in the

home and was complimentary about the staff and the care and support he was given. He

was particularly pleased with his bedroom which has been decorated and furnished to

meet his personal wishes and preferences. Although some people did not verbally tell us their views about their experiences of living at the home, we noted that the relationship between staff and people living in the home was friendly and support provided was sensitively managed by staff. The atmosphere in the home was happy and caring and people were cheerful and busily engaged with staff.