The inspection took place on 13 February 2017 and was unannounced. The care home was last inspected in October 2014 and was rated overall good with requires improvement in the responsive domain. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘The Glades’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’
The Glades is an 11 bed nursing home, providing care to adults with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection there were eight people living at the home on a long term basis. Two people used the service at the weekends on a short term, respite basis. The Glades is located in Dinnington, a small town in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. It is in its own grounds in a quiet, residential part of the town.
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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Some people we spoke with had limited verbal communication. However, they very clearly indicated they felt safe and were happy living in the home, liked the staff and did the activities they liked to do.
Medications procedures were in place including protocols for the use of ‘as and when required’ (PRN) medications. Staff had received training in medication management and medication was audited in line with the provider’s procedures. There was good guidance for staff regarding how people expressed pain or discomfort, so they could respond appropriately and seek input from health care professionals, if necessary. People had access to a good range of health care services and staff actively advocated for people if they felt health care services were not as responsive as they should be.
Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act [MCA] and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards [DoLS]. At the time of this inspection the registered manager told us most people who used the service had an authorised DoLS in place. This legislation was used to protect people who might not be able to make informed decisions on their own.
Staff we spoke with had a clear understanding of safeguarding people and they were confident their managers and the rest of their team would act appropriately to safeguard people from abuse.
The support plans we looked at included risk assessments, which identified any risks, associated with people’s care, and had been devised to help minimise and monitor the risks without placing undue restrictions on people.
There were enough staff to keep people safe and to meet people’s individual needs, and the staff told us they received good training and support. Staff retention was good, and staff knew people well and had built good relationships.
People were encouraged to make decisions about meals, and were supported to go shopping and be involved in menu planning. We saw people were involved and consulted about all aspects of their care and support, where they were able, including suggestions for activities and holidays.
Staff spoke to people in a caring and positive way, treated people with respect and were mindful of their rights and dignity. There was a nice, relaxed atmosphere and people were relaxed and smiling in the staff’s presence.
The complaints process was clear and people’s comments and complaints were taken very seriously, investigated and responded to in a timely way. People didn’t have any complaints to tell us about and indicated they were happy living at The Glades. Relatives we spoke with raised no concerns about the care provided at the service.
The registered manager was very person centred in her approach. Person centred care is when staff understand what is important to the person and give them the right care and support to do the things they want. The staff we met were very enthusiastic and professional, and were good communicators. They told us they were well supported by an open management team. It was clear from staff’s responses to question that they had a clear understanding of the ethos of the home and they knew people’s support needs very well.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw copies of reports produced by a representative of the provider. The reports included any actions required and these were checked each month to determine progress.