The Poplars is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

The Poplars is registered to accommodate up to five people with learning disabilities who may also have an autistic spectrum disorder. A respite service is provided for people. The accommodation has five single bedrooms with en suite facilities. Four beds are purchased by the local authority for respite care and one bed is for private purchase or emergencies. There are 60 people who use the respite service. The local authority allocates each person with the number of days respite at the service. The registered manager and senior staff liaise with people and their relatives to ensure the individual allocation is provided. People do not stay at the service with the same people each respite stay. The staff are flexible in the way they provide the service as people can come in for respite for one night, a weekend, a week or more.

At our last inspection on 24 and 29 September 2015 we rated the service ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service was now rated overall as ‘Requires Improvement’.

This inspection was completed on 22 May 2018 and there were four people receiving a respite service at the time of the inspection.

A registered manager was 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. The registered manager was not available as they were not on duty on the day of the inspection.

Staff had not followed the provider’s policy on the administration and recording of medicines, which meant that people had not received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff were aware of how to reduce risks to people. However, although potential risks to people had been recognised, information on how to minimise risks had not always been recorded.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in relation to keeping people safe from harm. Staff recruitment was robust and there were enough staff employed to meet people’s support needs.

People received an effective service because their needs were met by staff who were well trained and supported to do their job. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's nutritional needs were met by staff who knew each person's needs well. People’s health and wellbeing was maintained and provided by a range of health and social care professionals.

People received good care because staff treated people with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. People had choices in all aspects of their daily lives and were able to continue with interests and friendships outside the service. Staff ensured people remained as independent as possible.

People did not always receive a service that was responsive. Although people and their relatives (where appropriate) were involved in their personalised support plans and reviews the information about them in relation to their care and support was not always up to date.

People were encouraged to take part in a range of activities that they enjoyed, some were planned and others were the choice of the person at that tim

People we spoke with during our inspection visit on 06 January 2014 were positive and complimentary about the care and support they received whilst staying at the home for respite services. Observations made during our visit showed that people were satisfied and happy with the support and the attention they received from care staff. Relatives that we spoke with were also positive about the service that was provided to their relatives.

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.

Dietary and nutritional needs were being met and people were able to choose meals and participate in food preparation.

Staff were trained in safeguarding people from harm and they had access to policies and information about how to appropriately report any incidents or concerns to the local authority safeguarding team.

Staff received supervision and ongoing training sessions to ensure that they were able to safely deliver care and support to people.

The service had an effective system to assess and monitor the quality of the services that were provided to people

The Poplars is a care home registered to provide accommodation and non-nursing care for up to five people. Only short stays are offered. During this inspection there were five people in residence.

The home is a converted period property located in a residential area of Histon. The five bedrooms are single rooms and each has an en suite bathroom. Shared areas of the home include a lounge, dining room and kitchen.

This inspection took place on 24 and 29 September 2015 and was unannounced. On the first day of the inspection we visited the home. On the second day we spoke with relatives and staff on the telephone.

There was a registered manager in post. 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. The home was managed on a day to day basis by a manager and a team leader who were both present during our inspection. The registered manager was not available.

People were happy at The Poplars and they and their relatives were complimentary about the staff and the management team.

There were enough staff to support people in the way they wanted to be supported. Staff had been trained to recognise and report incidents of harm and any potential risks to people were managed so that the risks were minimised. All the required pre-employment checks had been carried out before staff started work. People were given their medicines safely.

The CQC monitors the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which apply to care services. People’s capacity to make decisions for themselves had been assessed. Applications for authorisation to deprive some people of their liberty had been submitted to the local authority, which meant that people’s rights in this area would be protected.

People were encouraged to help staff cook the meals. They were supported to make choices in all aspects of their daily lives. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when needed.

Relationships between people who lived at The Poplars and the staff were good and staff showed they cared about the people they were supporting. Staff treated people well and respected their privacy. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible.

People were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care. Detailed, personalised information was available to staff so that each person received the support they needed in the way they preferred. A range of activities and outings was offered to people and there were strong links with the local community.

The home was managed well. People, their relatives and the staff were encouraged to give their views about the home and put forward their ideas for improvements. People knew how to complain and felt comfortable with raising any issues with the management team. An effective system was in place to monitor and audit the quality of the service being provided at the home.