Background to this inspection
Updated
22 May 2015
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.
The inspection took place on 14 April 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection was undertaken by two inspectors.
Before our visit we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. We looked at information received from relatives, from the local authority commissioners and the statutory notifications the manager had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services which are paid for by the local authority.
We spoke with one person who lived at the home and two relatives. We spoke with the area manager, four staff and a healthcare professional who visited the home. We observed how people were supported during the day. We spent time observing care in the lounge and communal areas to help us understand the experience of people who used the service.
We reviewed four people’s care plans to see how their support was planned and delivered. We looked at staff files and medication records and reviewed management records of the checks made to assure people received a quality service.
Updated
22 May 2015
This inspection took place on the 14 April 2015 and was unannounced.
Glebe House provides care and accommodation for up to six people with a diagnosis of a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. The communal areas of the home are on the ground floor, together with two bedrooms. The rest of the bedrooms are on the first floor.
We last inspected the home in July 2014. After that inspection we asked the provider to take action to make improvements in the safety of the premises and their quality assurance systems. At this inspection we found improvements had been made in these areas, but further improvements were still required to the building. The service was due to close for a period of time so an intensive refurbishment programme could be completed.
There was no registered manager at the time of our inspection. 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 provider was recruiting to the position and in the meantime an interim deputy manager was providing managerial oversight of the home.
Staff had received training in keeping people safe and understood their responsibility to report any observed or suspected abuse. Where risks associated with people’s health and wellbeing had been identified, there were plans to manage those risks. Risk assessments ensured people could continue to enjoy activities as safely as possible, access the community and maintain their independence.
There were sufficient numbers of staff to provide the levels of supervision each person required. Staff received a thorough induction to the service and training that supported them to effectively meet the needs of the people who lived in the home. Staff were able to explain how they had implemented the training they had received into their everyday practice.
The provider and staff understood their obligations under the Mental Capacity Act and the Deprivation of Liberty safeguards (DoLS). The provider had made appropriate applications to the local authority in accordance with the DoLS and was following legal requirements.
People were encouraged to be as independent as possible according to their abilities and staff supported people to be involved in everyday tasks around the home. Staff were kind and understood the importance of supporting people to maintain relationships with friends and family.
People were involved in making decisions about what they had to eat and drink and regularly referred to external healthcare professionals to ensure their health and wellbeing was maintained. Medicines were managed so that people received their medication as prescribed.
There had been significant changes in both management and staffing in the six months prior to our visit. It was acknowledged that this had been a challenging time for both staff and the people living in the home. An interim deputy manager had introduced improvements and stability to the service while the provider recruited to fill the managerial vacancies.
The provider had introduced a series of checks and audits to ensure the improvements in the quality of service were sustained.