Little Glen

Updated 25 May 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 9 April 2018 and was announced. This inspection was carried out by one inspector as the service was small and only provided support to a small number of people. It was decided that additional inspection staff would be intrusive to people’s daily routines.

Before the inspection the registered manager completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). We reviewed the information the provider sent us in the PIR. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed the last inspection report and other information including any notifications. Notifications are information we receive when a significant event happens, like a death or serious injury.

We met and spoke with two people in the communal areas. We spoke with three members of staff and the acting manager. We sampled various records including two care plans, medicine records, audits, checks and staff records. We also spoke with one visiting professional, two health care professionals by telephone and one relative, whose comments have been included in this report.

Updated 25 May 2018

Little Glen is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Little Glen provides accommodation and personal care to up to three people living with a learning disability. There were three people living at the home when we inspected.

The 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 using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection, the service was rated ‘Good.’

Rating at this inspection

At this inspection we found the service remained 'Good'.

Why the service is rated Good

People told us they felt safe living at the service. Staff understood the importance of protecting people from harm; they knew how to recognise abuse and discrimination. People were supported to manage their finances safely.

People continued to be involved in all aspects of their care and had maximum control of their daily lives. People were supported to live the life they wanted in the least restive ways. Every activity was risk assessed and evaluated to ensure people were able to do the things they wanted.

People told us that there was always enough staff on duty to support them to access the local community and meet their family or friends. Staff had been recruited safely and people were involved in the interview process.

People continued to receive care and support by trained staff who had the opportunity to improve their skills and competencies. Staff felt valued by the management team and received regular supervision and an annual appraisal to give them the opportunity to develop their skills.

Staff supported people to keep healthy and manage their medicines safely. When new people came to live at the service their needs were assessed to make sure they would receive the right support. People were involved in menu planning each week and went food shopping. They told us they could choose the meals they wanted and were supported by staff to eat healthily.

At the time of the inspection no adaptations were required to meet people’s individual needs. People and staff worked together to make sure the service was clean and tidy. People described how the fire equipment was checked to make sure it was working. There were ongoing plans to improve the premises; a new kitchen had just been fitted and new furniture being ordered for the lounge.

Staff understood the importance of supporting people to make decisions and systems were in place to obtain consent from people and to comply with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were treated with kindness, mutual respect and equality. People were relaxed and had jovial conversations with staff and each other. Staff listened and chatted with people about their interests and daily events. There were regular meetings so that people could voice their opinions about the service.

People described how they went to the local shop on their own and were supported to be as independent as they wanted. They told us how they visited their friends and went to visit their relatives.

People were aware of their confidential records which were stored securely.

People were involved in all aspects of their care and showed us their support plans. The support plans gave clear guidance of how they wanted to be supported, their preferences and choices. Staff worked together with people, their family and health care professionals to ensure people received the care they needed. New plans were being implemented to gather additional information to ensure people’s wishes at the end of their lives were planned and recorded.

People were encouraged to try new activities and take risks in the least restricted way. People continued to be part of the daily running of the service and make decisions about how they lived.

The registered manager and management team were experienced and skilled in managing and supporting people with learning disabilities. All of the staff were enthusiastic and spoke passionately about upholding people’s rights and supporting them to have the best life they could achieve. The organisations policies and procedures together with audits and checks supported this practice.

There was an open and inclusive atmosphere and any incidents/accidents were recorded, reviewed, analysed by the management team to ensure the service learned from such events. There was a clear complaints procedure in a format that people could understand and people knew how to complain.

The registered manager had notified the Care Quality Commission of events that were reportable.

The rating of 'Good' was displayed at the service and on the provider website.