We carried out this announced inspection on 16 March 2017.

Tarn House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 14 adults who have a learning disability and/or a physical disability. The home is two storey and divided into four units called, Hill View, Sea View, Greenland and Beachwood. Hill View, Greenland and Beachwood units each have a lounge and a separate kitchen with dining area. Sea View is a self-contained flat that one person, able to live with greater independence, could use. There are two fenced garden areas and ample car parking. Tarn House provides permanent accommodation for people and short-term respite care.

There was a registered manager employed in the home. 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.

Our last comprehensive inspection of this home was carried out 15 January 2016. At that inspection we found that the registered provider was meeting the regulations that we assessed. However, we identified areas of the service that required improvement and made recommendations about maintaining the hygiene standards in the home and about improving the environment to promote people’s independence.

When we carried out this comprehensive inspection in March 2017 we saw that the standards of hygiene in the home had improved. We also found that improvements had been made to the environment. Although the premises were based on an outdated model of care, the registered manager had arranged for improvements to be made to the décor and accommodation to provide a more homely feel to the service.

However, there were still aspects of the environment that placed limits on how people’s independence could be promoted and there were areas of the home that were not accessible to people who used a wheelchair. People who lived in the home did not raise any concerns about the environment. They told us they liked living at Tarn House and said it was, “A good place to live”.

People were safe in the home and were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. They were supported to access appropriate health care services to maintain their health. Medicines were handled safely and people received their medicines as their doctors had prescribed.

There were enough staff to support people. The staff knew people well and treated people in a kind and caring way. People received reassurance and support promptly from the staff in the home and their wellbeing was supported.

People were included in agreeing to the support they received and care was planned and provided to meet people’s needs. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed and people’s rights were protected. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The staff were trained and supported to provide a high standard of care. The atmosphere in the home was friendly, open and inclusive. People were asked for their views and had been included in planning improvements to the environment.

People were provided with a range of activities that they enjoyed and that took account of their interests and preferences. People enjoyed the meals provided in the home and were supported to make meals and drinks for themselves.

The home was well managed. The registered manager and registered provider carried out checks on the service and had made improvements to the environment and décor to provide a more homely place for people to live.

The registered provider had a procedure for receiving and managing complaints about the service. People were confident that action would be taken in response to any concerns they

We carried out this announced inspection on 15 January 2016. We last inspected this service in June 2013. At that inspection we found that the provider was meeting all of the regulations that we assessed.

As part of our regulatory activity we found that the provider for the service was not registered correctly. We discussed this with Cumbria County Council and they submitted an application to correct their registration details. We carried out an assessment of Tarn House in October 2015 as part of the county council’s registration application. We judged that the service was likely to be safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Tarn House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 14 adults who have a learning disability and/or a physical disability. The home is two storey and divided into four units called, Hill View, Sea View, Greenland and Beachwood. Each of the units has a lounge and a separate kitchen with dining area. There are two fenced garden areas and ample car parking. Tarn House provides permanent accommodation for people and also short term respite care.

There was a registered manager employed in the home. 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.

People told us that they felt safe living at Tarn House and told us that they made choices about their lives. Throughout our inspection we saw that people were treated in a kind and caring way that promoted their wellbeing.

There were enough staff to provide the support people needed. The registered manager adjusted staffing levels as required to ensure that people received the care they required.

Tarn House is an older building and we found that some areas of the premises were in need of repair and there were areas which were difficult to clean thoroughly.

Where areas in the home had been recently redecorated, people were provided with comfortable and homely accommodation.

The registered manager and care staff tried to support people to increase their independence, however the premises were institutional and the design and environment placed restrictions on how effectively this could be achieved.

The focus of the service was on promoting people’s rights. People were included in planning their own care and in making decisions about their lives.

The registered manager was knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, (DoLS). People’s rights were protected because the principles of the MCA had been followed.

Staff were well trained and supported in their roles. The staff knew the people they were supporting and how they wanted their care to be provided.

The registered manager worked with care staff supporting people and offering guidance. He maintained good oversight of the service and quality of care. Although we identified areas where the service needed to improve, these had already been identified by the registered manager and he had developed an action plan to address the issues which were within his control.

We have made a recommendation about maintaining hygiene standards in the home.

We have made a recommendation that the registered provider seeks advice about improving the environment.