Glasshouse College provides support for up to six people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder, physical disability and or sensory impairment in an educational setting. At the time of our inspection there were six people using the service. At the last inspection, in September 2014, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found that the service remained Good.

People continued to receive support that was safe and staff received the appropriate training to keep them safe. People were still being supported with their medicines as they were prescribed and there were enough staff.

People continued to be supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. 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. Where people were restricted this was done following the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The care people received continued to be good. People were supported and encouraged by staff to live as independent as they could. People’s privacy and dignity was respected.

The service continued to be responsive to how people’s needs were met. The service people received was reviewed on a regular basis and people’s decisions were an integral part of the review process. People knew how to raise complaints if they had any concerns about the service they received.

The service continued to be well-led. The provider ensured the appropriate checks and audits were carried out to maintain the quality of the service. The provider used a quality assurance process to enable people to share their views on the service by way of completing a questionnaire.

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

The visit was announced, which meant the provider and staff knew we were coming.

Glasshouse College is registered to provide accommodation and support in an educational setting for 12 people. At the time of our inspection there were nine people using the service.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Everyone we spoke with was complimentary about the service and its staff. One person told us how staff supported them to develop life skills in a safe and caring way.

People told us they felt safe with staff. Staff were aware of how to support people’s rights and we saw this demonstrated in meetings staff held to discuss people’s care and support. Staff had an understanding of the different types of abuse and were aware of their duty to report such matters in order to keep people safe.

Staff planned care in a way which supported the health and well-being of people. Activities were facilitated to suit the individual and to meet their needs.

People’s needs were responded to by staff. One person told us staff worked closely with them and allowed them to be as independent as possible. Staff demonstrated how they were reacting to people’s progress in order to make them more independent and to gain the life skills they required to achieve this.

The registered manager had introduced systems and procedures which improved the quality of care and people’s experience of using the service. Staff and people who used the service were complimentary about the management team.

On the day of the inspection, there were five people who were receiving care and support. This was offered to people in community housing, where staff provided care and support as required. We spoke with one person who used the service, three staff members and the manager.

We found that people received care and support which met their needs. One person we spoke with told us they were happy. Staff we spoke with knew about people’s care needs and risks which were appropriately managed.

Staff we spoke with explained that the level of support they received had improved since the new manager had been in post. One staff member said, “We did not have support before but that has really changed now. We have regular contact with the manager.”

Records we looked at for people’s care and the management of the service, were detailed and fit for purpose. Records were easily accessible and were stored in a way that ensured people’s confidentiality.

We spoke with three students who told us positive things about the College and the accommodation where they lived. We saw that staff spent time with people and gave them individual attention. We saw there were positive relationships between staff and people at the College. We saw College based and community activities were offered to suit people’s needs and choices. People told us they enjoyed these.

We found that people’s needs had been assessed by a wide range of health professionals including nurses, family and specialist doctors . This meant that people’s health care needs were being monitored and met.

The provider demonstrated that they had a robust recruitment process in place and there were also systems in place to monitor how the home was run, to ensure people received a quality service.