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 enth

We spoke with three people who used the service. Some of the people had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us their experiences in a meaningful way. We observed staff interaction with the people who used the service and we looked at care records.

People’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. We observed staff carrying out care tasks in accordance with each person's care plan.

Throughout our visit, we saw that staff treated people with dignity and kindness. We observed that a friendly and positive approach was used, to ensure that the wishes and needs of people using the service were respected.

People’s health, safety and welfare was protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment, or when they moved between different services. This was because the provider worked in co-operation with others.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. This included staff receiving training in this subject and the provision of protective equipment.

People received care and treatment from suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. Complaints were investigated and responded to in a timely manner.

We spoke with three people who used the service. They told us about their activities and experiences of living at The Glades. One person told us they liked to go to watch football and do jigsaws, while another told us they like to visit relatives who lived close to the home. People told us they got on very well with staff, and enjoyed being independent.

We also used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who used the service. This included observing care, looking at records and talking to staff.

Throughout our visit, we saw that staff treated people with dignity and kindness. We observed that a friendly and positive approach was used, to ensure that the wishes and needs of people using the service were respected. People were encouraged to make choices about activities, meals and were included in making shopping lists for food.

We found people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Staff were able to demonstrate different methods of communicating with people to ensure their wishes and beliefs were respected.

Complaints were investigated and responded to in a timely manner.

We have not spoken directly with people who used service at this inspection as we have only looked at outcomes 9 and 21 which relates to management of medicines and records. Please refer to the inspection report dated October 2011 which contains the views of people who used the service.

People told us they liked living at the home, as they could maintain contact with family and friends who lived in the local community. People said they liked to take part in activities like doing jigsaws and going out to the local shops. We observed staff interacting with people in a positive supportive way and they engaged people in daily activities.

The inspection was unannounced, and the inspection visit was carried out over two days; 15 October 2014 and 22 October 2014. The home was previously inspected in September 2013, where no breaches of legal requirements were identified.

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. A ninth person stayed at the home regularly on a short term, respite basis, however, they were not staying at the home on the days of the inspection.

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.

During the inspection people told us, or indicated, that they enjoyed the range of activities available in the home, and staff we spoke with and observed understood people’s needs and preferences well. Staff were able to describe to us how people made decisions and how they offered choices to people.

We found that staff received a good level of training; the provider’s own records evidenced this, as did the staff we spoke with. Two staff members told us they felt the standard and availability of training compared well to other providers they had worked for.

Throughout the inspection we saw that staff showed people using the service a high degree of respect and took steps to maintain their privacy and dignity. We asked one person using the service about whether staff protected their privacy and showed them respect. They told us that staff always knocked on their bedroom door and addressed them by their preferred name.

The provider had taken appropriate steps to ensure that, where people lacked the mental capacity to make decisions about their care and welfare, the correct legal procedures were followed to protect the person’s rights. However, we found that there were occasions where people were not fully involved in decisions about their care.

The provider had effective systems in place to ensure people’s safety. This included staff’s knowledge about safeguarding, and up to date risk assessments.