Glassmoon Services Limited

Updated 2 September 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in two 'supported living' settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.

The service had a registered manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We announced the inspection a few days in advance to ensure that people would give us permission to visit them in their home. Before we visited the supported living settings, we discussed infection control processes for people, staff and inspectors, with reference to COVID-19.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.” We also reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

Following the announcement of this inspection, the registered manager requested that the CQC inspector provided a short video message introducing themselves. This video was produced to help people understand who the inspector was and why they were visiting.”

During the inspection

We visited the registered office and met with the registered manager. We then visited both settings where care was provided and met with all five people the service supports.

We also met and spoke with nine support staff. We gathered feedback from four people’s relatives and two health and social care professionals who had worked with the service regularly.

We reviewed two peoples care and support records including details of how people were supported with medicines. We looked at staff records in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service and quality monitoring systems.

Updated 2 September 2022

About the service

Glassmoon Services Limited provides supported living style care to people with learning disabilities or autistic people. It provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes, so they can live as independently as possible. The service started providing care in 2021 and this is the first inspection of the service.

People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual arrangements. The CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's care and support.

Not everyone using the service received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people who are provided with the regulated activity of 'personal care', for example which includes help with tasks such as personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. People using the service who received personal care lived in two supported living settings.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right Support, right care, right culture’ is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting underpinning principles of “Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture”.

Right support

The model of care was designed to support people’s independence and empower people to make meaningful decisions and choices. Staff knew how to communicate effectively with people using a variety of specific approaches and techniques. One staff member told us, “The communication strategies are really working as [Person’s name] is using more speech”.

People were supported to participate in a range of activities both at home and in the local community. The service had appropriately taken calculated risks to enable people to access the community.

One of the settings in which support was provided was larger than current recommendations. This setting had been developed collaboratively with commissioners and the provider had systems in place to ensure this issue would not impact on the quality of support people received.

The service was well staffed and there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Staff had been recruited safely and the provider had over recruited to ensure each person always received the support they required.

People’s independence was promoted, and staff supported people to make decisions and choices. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible and consistently acted in their best interest.

People were safely supported to access their medicines and risks to people’s wellbeing had been identified and mitigated. Staff understood their role in protecting people from abuse and knew how to make safeguarding alerts.

Right care:

Staff knew people well, understood their needs and consistently provided person-centred care. They took pride in people’s achievements and supported people to live their best lives. Dignity was promoted and peoples’ privacy and human rights protected. Relatives told us, “[Person’s name] gets on really well with the staff” and “The staff are very knowledgeable and caring”.

There was a strong person-centred culture within the staff teams that had been built around each person’s specific needs. Risks were managed appropriately, and staff understood how to meet people’s needs if they became upset or anxious.

Staff had the skills necessary to meet people’s needs and the provider valued and encouraged staff development. Leaders regularly worked alongside staff providing support and staff feedback was valued and acted upon.

Right culture:

Relatives and professionals recognised the service’s positive and supportive culture had impacted positively on people’s well-being. Their comments included, “They certainly put the clients first” and “The needs of the service user are central to the Glassmoon ethos and I have been impressed by the quality of support provided to date.”

Relatives were complimentary of the services’ approach and the quality of care provided. A professional told us, “Their ethos and the way they come along side people and relatives sets them apart from other providers.”

Staff were highly motivated and empowered by managers to support people to live their best lives. One staff member told us, “The managers are really passionate, very supportive and inclusive. It never feels like an us versus them situation. They are always there to help and I am never made to feel like an inconvenience.”

Infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection. PPE was used appropriately and government guidance about COVID-19 was being followed.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 8 April 2021. This is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.