Our inspection took place on 7and 8 July 2015 and was unannounced.
Brighton Road is a residential care service that provides accommodation for up to 15 individuals with mild to moderate learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection 11 people were using the service. At our last inspection in February 2014 the service was meeting the regulations inspected.
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.
Staff helped make sure people were safe at Brighton Road and in the community by looking at the risks they may face and by taking steps to reduce those risks.
People were cared for by staff who received appropriate training and support to do their job well. Staff felt supported by managers. There were enough staff to support people to live a full, active and independent life as possible at Brighton Road and in the community.
People were offered choices, supported to feel involved and staff knew how to communicate effectively with each individual according to their needs. People were relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. Staff supported people in a way which was kind, caring, and respectful.
Staff helped people to keep healthy and well, they supported people to attend appointments with GP’s and other healthcare professionals when they needed to. Medicines were stored safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. People were involved in their food and drink choices and meals were prepared taking account of people’s health, cultural and religious needs.
Care records focused on people as individuals and gave clear information to people and staff using a variety of photographs, easy to read and pictorial information. People were appropriately supported by staff to make decisions about their care and support needs. These were reviewed with them regularly by staff.
Staff encouraged people to follow their own activities and interests. Relatives told us they felt comfortable raising any concerns they had with staff and knew how to make a complaint if needed.
The provider regularly sought people’s and staff’s views about how the care and support they received could be improved. There were systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service that people experienced.