Glanmore is a service which supports people who have a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder or mental health condition. It provides accommodation with personal care for up to seven people. There were six people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection, in January 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

People continued to receive care which protected them from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff supported people’s needs in a safe way, monitored risks to their safety and were available when people needed support. People’s medicines were managed and stored in a safe way, and they had their medicines when they needed them.

Staff received training to give them the skills and knowledge they needed to meet people's needs. These skills were kept up to date through regular training and staff were supported in their roles by managers and their colleagues. Staff asked people's permission before they helped them with any care or support. People's right to make their own decisions about their own care and treatment were supported by staff.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and had good relationships with them. People felt involved in their own care and staff and managers listened to what they wanted. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity when they supported them.

People received care and support that was individual to them. Their support needs were kept under review and staff responded when there were changes in these needs. People had opportunities to give feedback and make complaints about the care and support they received. They also had opportunities to make suggestions for improvements at the home and these were listened to.

People lived in a home where they felt confident to express themselves and felt comfortable to speak with staff and managers about concerns and issues that affected them. The provider had systems in place that continued to be effective in assessing and monitoring the quality of the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 27 January 2015 and was unannounced. At our last inspection in April 2014, we found the service was meeting the regulations we inspected.

Glanmore provides care and accommodation for up to seven people with a learning disability with or without mental health conditions. There were six people living in the home when we visited and there was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of possible factors that could contribute to a Deprivation of Liberty and had received training.

People told us they liked living at Glanmore and were very positive about the care and support they received. They were involved in planning and reviewing their care and considered staff knew them well and understood their individual needs and preferences.

Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of harm or potential abuse. The home had sufficient numbers of staff on duty to provide personalised care. People’s health and well-being was regularly monitored. The service worked closely with healthcare professionals to make sure there was continuity to meeting people’s needs.

Staff were kind and caring. Staff had developed positive working relationships with the people they supported. People were offered choices about their care and support and were involved in decisions about their care routines and what was happening in the home. Staff were supported to carry out their roles effectively and had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs.

People were encouraged and supported to be involved in a range of activities which were influenced by their hobbies, interests and lifestyle preferences. They were supported to maintain relationships with their family and friends. People knew who to speak with if they wanted to raise a concern.

People were positive about how the service was managed. There was an open and transparent culture in the home with effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

We met with people who lived at Glanmore. They told us that overall they were happy living at the home.

We saw that people who received a service were involved and consulted in the care and support they received. People told us that they helped develop their support plans and took part in regular reviews to ensure they still reflected their needs, goals and objectives. Records reflected this.

People were supported to meet their individual assessed needs in ways that promoted their health and wellbeing. People told us how they lived their lives as independently as they were able with support from staff when they needed it. Staff were very knowledgeable about people’s individual support needs.

We saw how the staff team supported people when they were at risk or vulnerable. Incidents were well detailed and actions taken reflected risk assessments and support plans.

Staff told us that they “Loved” their jobs and were aware of their individual roles and responsibilities. They told us that managers were very approachable and supportive. Staff received regular opportunities to meet as a team and individually with managers. Staff told us that they had good training opportunities.

There were effective systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. People who received a service told us that they were asked if they were happy with the service. Records seen had all being reviewed and updated.

We spoke with four of the six people currently living at Glanmore to establish their views and experiences about the service that they received. We also spoke with all four staff working at the home on the day of our visit, one of whom was the registered manager. We reviewed the care and support plan for one person and additional information as detailed within this report.

People told us that they were very happy with the support they received. One person said “Its nice living here. I feel safe and well supported”.

We were told that staff met people’s care and support needs in ways that they preferred.

People said that they were involved and consulted in the development of their care and support plans. People’s likes, dislikes, preferences and goals were considered in relation to the care and support that they received. Everyone told us that they were treated with dignity and respect.

People were supported to live the lives they chose. They took part in a range of leisure and educational activities within the local community. The level of support individuals required varied and the home was able to accommodate changes to staffing levels to reflect this.

People were involved in developing independent living skills with staff support and encouragement. Plans were in place to support people to enjoy their lives and staff were aware of risks, people's rights and their responsibilities in order to enable them to do this.

People were supported by a knowledgeable and well trained staff team who knew their care and support needs well. Staff were offered a range of training opportunities that were specifically designed to meet the needs of the people they supported.

People were protected because staff were confident to recognise and report abuse. The home had implemented changes in response to incidents to keep people safe.

The home effectively ensured that people's views were considered and listened to in relation to the running of the service. The organisation had a range of quality monitoring tools in place to ensure that they maintained good quality and safe care.