The inspection took place on 20 February 2018 and was unannounced. Glen Eldon is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Glen Eldon is registered to provide accommodation and support to nine people. At the time of the inspection there were five people living there.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

Processes, procedures and staff training were in place to protect people from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff had identified risks to people and these were managed safely. Safe staff recruitment processes were followed and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Competent staff managed people’s medicines safely. Processes were in place to protect people from the risk of acquiring an infection. Staff learning took place following incidents to ensure people’s future safety.

People’s needs were assessed and their care was delivered in accordance with good practice guidance. People were cared for by staff that had been well supported in their role. Staff ensured people ate and drank sufficient for their needs. The environment was not suitable for everyone’s needs and the provider planned to re-locate the service. Staff worked with other organisations to ensure people received effective care, support and treatment. People were supported to live healthier lives and their healthcare needs were met. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The service had sustained the improvements they had made in this key area, which is now rated, as good.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion they cared about people. Staff supported people to make choices about their lives. Staff treated people with respect and upheld their dignity and human rights when delivering their care.

Staff organised the delivery of people’s care around the needs, interests and preferences of each person in their care. People led active and fulfilled lives. Staff understood their role and responsibility to support people or their relatives to make a complaint if they wished.

Staff were observed to apply the provider’s values in their work with people. The service had clear and effective governance and management arrangements. People, their families, professionals and staff were involved with the service in a number of ways. The provider had robust quality assurance systems which were operated across all levels of the service. Staff had worked effectively in partnership with other agencies to promote positive outcomes for people.

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 14 and 15 January 2016. We found appropriate arrangements were not in place to ensure people's legal rights would always be protected by the proper implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). This had been a breach of Regulation 11 (need for consent) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014.

After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breach. We undertook a focused inspection on the 7 June 2017 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements of this regulation.

This report only covers our findings in relation to this legal requirement. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘Glen Eldon‘ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Glen Eldon is a care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for nine adults with learning disabilities or an autistic spectrum disorder. Five people were living at Glen Eldon, although two of them were away at the time of the inspection.

The service had 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our focused inspection on the 7 June 2017, we found that the provider had followed their plan which they had told us would be completed by the 31 March 2016 and the legal requirements in relation to obtaining people’s consent had been met.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

This inspection took place on the 14 and 15 January 2016 and was unannounced. We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 9 December 2014 and found several regulatory breaches. Following the inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet these legal requirements. During this inspection we checked whether the provider had completed their action plan to address the concerns we had found. We found the provider had made the required improvements, however at this inspection we identified some other improvements were required.

Glen Eldon is a care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for nine adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were five people living in the service some of whom had severe learning, communication, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The home is located in a rural area five miles from the town of Alton. There is no public transport nearby. The home has a large living room, a dining room, a kitchen and three shared bathrooms. People were accommodated in single bedrooms.

The service did not have a registered manager in post as required for this location. The provider had informed us on 1 December 2015 that the service was being managed by a deputy manager from another of their locations. The provider has now successfully recruited to the post of manager and this person has submitted an application to become the 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our inspection of December 2014 found the arrangements to protect people if there was an emergency were not robust. At this inspection we found Improvements had been made. For example; people had personal evacuation plans in place that detailed information important to support them safely in an emergency. Information was available about people’s needs should they require an admission to hospital. Improvements had also been made to people’s care plans. People’s care plans including their risk assessments had been reviewed and updated to reflect their current and specific needs. People’s relatives were confident that people were cared for safely and staff knew how to manage the risks affecting people’s safety and welfare.

Improvements had been made to the governance system to ensure actions taken in response to health and safety risks were completed. Records showed that regular health and safety checks were carried out and action was taken to remedy any faults identified.

Improvements had been made to the organisation and accuracy of people’s care records. This had been achieved through a review of people’s care plans. Records showed the correct service user guide was included in people’s records which had been missing at the last inspection.

Appropriate arrangements were not in place to ensure people’s legal rights were always protected by proper implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Where people lacked the capacity to consent to their care and treatment the required procedures had not always been followed, for example, in relation to the use of CCTV. Where people were unable to give their consent to decisions made on their behalf the provider had not assured themselves of the legal authority other people held to make such decisions.

Staff completed training to meet people’s specific needs to ensure they were cared for safely. An on-going training programme was in place so staff skills and knowledge were regularly refreshed. We were told Makaton was one of the communication methods used by all people living at Glen Eldon to some degree. Makaton is a language programme using signs and symbols to h

The inspection took place on 9 December 2014 and was unannounced.

This was the first inspection of the home since it was registered by the provider Voyage 1 in July 2014.

The service provides personal care for up to nine young adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. When we visited there were five people living at the home some of whom had severe learning, communication, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The home is located in a rural area five miles from the town of Alton. There is no public transport nearby. The home has a large living room, a dining room, a kitchen and an activities room attached to the garage. People’s private bedrooms are on both the ground and first floors. There is no passenger lift.

The provider had appointed a new manager to the service in September 2014. This person was not registered with the Care Quality Commission but was intending to submit their application to become the registered manager of the service. Like registered providers, registered managers 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.

Improvements were required to ensure that people were always safe and care was effective and responsive. There had been frequent management changes at this home and effective governance arrangements were not yet fully implemented and embedded. Auditing systems were not used consistently to improve the quality of the service, and records were not always accurate and complete. There was no registered manager at the service and work was required to develop a positive culture in the home.

Some risk assessments and safety procedures were not in place, which could put people and staff at risk. There was some inconsistency in the way people’s health needs were looked after. Medical advice and treatment was sought promptly when people were ill, however planning for regular health checks and reviews was inconsistent. We found a number of breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

Mental capacity assessments had been completed and best interest decisions made when appropriate, involving health and social professionals. The CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the MCA and relates to promoting people’s rights to freedom of movement. The manager was progressing with applications for DoLS in line with legal procedures.

Relatives said the home was improving and had confidence in the new management. They said people were happy and safe living at the home, and staff were kind and compassionate, treating people with respect and dignity.

There was some inconsistency in staff knowledge in how best to support people and how to communicate effectively. This had been identified by the management and was being addressed through team meetings and supervisions.

Staff recruitment processes were robust and there were sufficient staff, with the right skills to care for people. Most staff understood how to care for people in the way they preferred and recognised triggers for behaviours that challenged themselves and others. People were supported to attend a full programme of activities outside the home, based on their individual preferences.