Cornish Close is a service registered to provide accommodation, care and support for up to six people accessing a respite unit. There are also five bungalows on site and people with their own tenancies also receive personal care and support from staff at the service. People receiving a service have a learning disability and or mental health needs.

At the time of this inspection there were four people accessing the respite unit, two of whom lived there on a long term basis. Eleven people were being supported in four bungalows. One bungalow was empty at the time of this inspection and was being refurbished. Two people were planning to move from the respite unit and into the vacant bungalow. They were being involved in the process of refurbishing the property so that the home met their needs and personal taste.

The respite unit at Cornish Close is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. People living in the bungalows received personal care and support from staff based on individual needs.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

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. There was a registered manager in post at the time of this inspection who was present during the inspection .

This was our first inspection of Cornish Close since the change of provider in June 2017. We judged that the service required improvement. We identified one breach in regulation during this inspection.

Staff received the training and support to effectively meet people’s needs, although we identified that supervisions had not been undertaken with staff in line with company policy. Observations of staff competencies were completed although annual appraisals had not been undertaken. This was a breach of Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, as staff had not received adequate supervision or feedback about their performance.

People enjoyed living at Cornish Close and felt safe. There had been issues with the general public accessing the grounds of Cornish Close, especially late at night. The provider was working with the housing association to stop this from happening, whilst also making sure that people living at Cornish Close were kept safe and not restricted from leaving.

A safe system for recruiting new staff was in place. The number of staff on duty in the bungalows depended on people’s needs and the activities people planned to participate in during the week. Care and support in the respite unit was provided to people continuously over a 24 hour period.

Medicines were administered as prescribed. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. At this inspection we saw that equipment was maintained and serviced in line with national guidelines.

Person centred care plans and risk assessments were in place to guide staff on the support people needed and how to reduce any identified risks. Where applicable, care plans were in place to support specific health conditions, for example diabetes and dysphagia.

People’s health and nutritional needs were met by the service. People told us they were involved in helping to set weekly menus