A £3 million unit built in Devizes to look after people with complex learning disabilities has opened but only two of its flats are in use so far.

The Daisy at Green Lane, which should have opened last summer but was dogged by problems over whether it should be called a care home or a hospital, was built in the wake of the Winterbourne View scandal in Bristol which found people were not receiving proper care.

There are five flats with potential for a maximum of nine residents, dependent on the needs of each individual.

This week the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, who have worked in partnership to provide the service at the Daisy Unit, said: "Wiltshire people with complex learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, who have been living out of the area, have moved back to Wiltshire to live in the purpose built residential service called Daisy.

"The Daisy opened in January. It can accommodate up to nine individuals, providing them with the opportunity to live an ordinary life by having their own home.

"Being in Wiltshire helps them to maintain their social and family relationships and to also build a fulfilled life by integrating with the local community and accessing mainstream services."

But when asked by the Gazette how many places were still vacant a spokesman initially said this information could not be released but later said only two were occupied and issued a statement which said: "It is critical that the people who move into the Daisy have the necessary time to settle in and adjust to their new surroundings and to ensure a smooth transition for all who live there.

"Currently there are two people living at the Daisy occupying two of the self-contained flats. We are planning for another person to move into the Daisy in May and one more person soon after.

"Our intentions are to bring Wiltshire people back into the local community, as part of the Green Lane site. Currently we are working to identify further suitable individuals who will also be able to benefit from the specialist services which the Daisy offers.

"Residents live at the Daisy for as long as is necessary according to their individual needs, meaning that over time patients will move in and out of the facility."

Ted Wilson, the commissioning group's director of Community Services and Joint Commissioning, said: “This is a fantastic service and we are further modernising our learning disability services to give people greater choice and flexibility in selecting from a range of available services and support that meet their individual needs.”

Jane Anderson, the mental health partnership's service manager, said: “I am really proud of this innovative, bespoke, resident-centred service which meets the Transforming Care agenda and has already demonstrated successful outcomes for the residents, many of whom were also involved in the design and build at its inception.”

Each self-contained home within the Daisy is equipped to encourage and support independent living and include a kitchen, washing machine, en-suite, living room area and their own garden.

The Daisy also has a central communal area for all residents to use which gives them access to therapy spaces and recreation activities.