The majority of the residents who live at this home had complex care needs and they communicated non-verbally through noise, behaviour and gesture. There was limited use of verbal communication and Makaton signing. Makaton signing is a simplified version of British Sign Language that is used by, and for, people who have a learning disability.To seek the views and experiences of people who use this service, we spent time observing the interactions between the residents and the staff. We also spoke to five members of staff, the new manager and a relative.
We observed that the majority, but not all, of the staff listened to the residents when they expressed their opinions. We saw that the staff were supporting the residents to make choices and to participate in a number of activities both inside and outside the home.
One resident told us they liked the staff. They appeared interested in what staff were doing and the staff were answering their questions. A relative told us that the staff were good at providing a high standard of personal care. The relative also said that the staff appeared to be increasing the choices their family member could make about the activities they took part in.
The residents appeared relaxed by the way they moved around their home and interacted with the staff, and they made gestures that indicated they were enjoying foot massages.
The residents moved freely around the house and they chose what they did with some support from the staff. We saw that the staff were spending one to one time with different residents during the day.
The views of the staff and of a relative were that the service was improving for the benefit of the residents.