We carried out an announced inspection of the service on 11 and 16 October 2018. Corner House Residential Care Home 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. This service supports people who have a learning disability.

Corner House accommodates up to 11 people in one building. During our inspection there were 11 people living at the home. This is the service’s second inspection under its current registration. The service was rated as ‘Good’ after the last inspection. This rating has now improved to ‘Outstanding’.

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 was present during the inspection. 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.

Staff used innovative methods to support people with maintaining their own safety and the safety of others. The risks to people’s safety were continually assessed and reviewed without unnecessary restrictions placed on them. People were protected from avoidable harm by staff.

There was a flexible approach to staff deployment, with people’s needs and personal preferences always considered when staff rotas were formed. Innovative methods to include people in the recruitment process were in place. People’s medicines were managed safely and people lived in an environment that was clean and free from the risk of the spread of infection. There were clear processes in place to continually review accidents and incidents and to learn from mistakes.

People’s physical, mental health and social needs were assessed and met in line with current legislation and best practice guidelines. Staff were well trained and their practice was regularly assessed to aid development and improve the quality of support people received. People were encouraged to choose to do their own shopping, make healthy food and drink choices and to lead a healthy lifestyle. The registered manager had built effective relationships with external health and social care organisations and people’s health was regularly monitored. Extensive renovation work had been carried out at the home to improve people’s experience. The home was well maintained and suitable for the people living at the home. 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 support this practice.

People were supported by staff who were kind, caring, empathetic and compassionate. The staff and the management team worked together to provide people with excellent support to lead fulfilling lives and to reach their potential. Innovative methods have been used to include people in the planning of their care and support. There was an excellent awareness of equality and diversity legislation. This was implemented effectively to ensure people were not discriminated against. People were supported to make decisions about their lives and these were always acted on by staff. People and staff had formed meaningful and respectful relationships and people were always treated with dignity and respect. Independent advocates had previously been used to support people with making decisions. People’s diverse needs were considered when care and support was planned f

Corner House Residential Care Home provides accommodation and respite services for up to 12 people, who were living with a learning disability. At the time of the inspection, 12 people were using the service.

The service has a registered manager. 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

This inspection took place on the 18 August 2015 and was unannounced.

People told us they felt safe at the home and people were supported by staff who understood how to report allegations of abuse. Risk assessments were in place to identify and reduce the risk to people’s safety. Accidents and incidents were thoroughly investigated and there were processes in place that enabled staff to learn from incidents. There were sufficient staff in place to keep people safe. Medicines were stored and handled safely.

People were supported by staff who received a comprehensive induction and training programme. Staff told us they felt well trained and supported by the registered manager.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. The DoLS are part of the MCA. They aim to make sure that people are looked after in a way that does not restrict their freedom. The safeguards should ensure that a person is only deprived of their liberty in a safe and correct way, and that this is only done when it is in the best interests of the person and there is no other way to look after them. The registered manager had applied the principles of the MCA appropriately when decisions were made for them. The registered manager was aware of their requirements to ensure that people’s freedom was not unnecessarily restricted. At the time of our inspection there was nobody who had their liberty restricted.

People spoke positively about the food, were given a wide range of choices and were supported to maintain good health by accessing local healthcare services.

People spoke highly of the staff. Staff spoke knowledgeably about the people they supported and interacted with them in a friendly and caring way. Staff showed a genuine interest in people’s opinions. People’s privacy and dignity was protected at all times. People felt able to contribute to decisions made about their care. Arrangements were in place for people to receive support from an independent advocate if they needed one.

People’s care records were written in a person centred way that focused on people’s wishes and respected their views. There were strong examples of people being supported to lead the life they wanted to lead. People were encouraged to seek employment, gain work experience through volunteering and strive for and achieve their dreams. The registered manager continually reviewed people’s wishes and used innovative ways to help people achieve them. Strong and positive relationships were in place with local businesses, charities and professional agencies such as the police, that all resulted in people leading the life they wanted to. People, relatives and external professionals and businesses all spoke very highly of the staff, the registered manager and the service as a whole. Where people raised concerns with the registered manager, these were always responded to in good time with the outcomes clearly explained to people.

People, relatives, staff, external healthcare professionals and representatives of the local community all spoke very highly of the registered manager. People felt empowered to contribute to the development of the service. The registered manager actively sought people’s views and acted on them. The registered manager and staff gained strong links with the local community that had a direct and positive impact on people’s lives. All of the staff understood what was expected of them and how they could contribute to giving people the opportunity to lead as fulfilling a life as possible. There was a very positive atmosphere within the home. The service was led by a registered manager who had a clear understanding of their role and how to improve the lives of all of the people at the service. They had a robust auditing process in place that identified the risks to people and the service as a whole and they were dealt with quickly and effectively.