This inspection took place on 19 and 20 June 2017. It was unannounced. North Corner is registered to provide care and accommodation for 16 people. There were 13 people living there when we inspected. People cared for were all older people. People were living with a range of care needs, including arthritis, diabetes and heart conditions. Some people were also living with dementia. Most people needed some support with their personal care, eating, drinking and mobility

North Corner is a large domestic-style house which has been extended. People's bedrooms were provided over two floors. There was a sitting and dining room on the ground floor.

This was North Corner’s first inspection since its purchase by North Corner Lewes Limited. There was a registered manager in post, she had been appointed by the new provider. 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 new provider purchased the business on 20 September 2016. People who had lived in the home while it was managed by the previous provider continued to live there. Many of the staff also continued working at the home under the new provider.

The provider had made a wide range of improvements to the environment since they purchased the home. This included key areas such as fire safety, improvements to the kitchen, heating and hot water systems. When they took over the business, the new provider continued to use the previous provider’s documentation. The new provider had identified some areas of documentation needed improvement. This was because some risk assessments were not accurately completed, some matters relating to people’s care were not documented and records were not consistently maintained of when action had been taken to address matters. The provider was trialling different records to ensure accuracy of record keeping.

The provider had reviewed systems for medicines. Staff supported people with taking their medicines in a safe way. Accurate records about medicines were maintained.

People and staff confirmed there were enough staff to ensure people’s needs were met. New staff had been recruited in a safe way. All staff had a clear understanding of their responsibilities for protecting people from risk of abuse. They also knew what actions to take if they had concerns about people’s safety.

The provider had reviewed training and support needs for staff and developed a training and supervision plan. Staff knew how to meet people’s care needs, including when they had additional healthcare needs. Staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

People said staff were caring and supported their independence and dignity. Staff were consistently polite and helpful to people. Staff knew about people as individuals and provided care in a person-centred way.

The new registered manager had revised menus together with people, their relatives and staff. People received the support they needed to ensure they could eat and drink what they both wanted and needed, to maintain their well-being.

The new provider had made developments in the provision of recreational activities for people. People and their relatives spoke warmly about the changes made by the new provider, particularly in encouraging people to choose how they wanted to spend their days.

People and their relatives made positive comments about the management style of the providers. They said they could raise issues with the provider or registered manager and any concerns they had would be addressed. Staff spoke about the supportive and inclusive management style of the new provider and registered manager.

The provider had set up effective systems for audit of the quality of service. Since the