Archived: Glenmore Trust - 40a Manor Road

The Glenmore Trust- 40a Manor Road is a care home that provides support for up to five people with a learning disability. The home is a modern adapted bungalow in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of Carlisle. At the time of the inspection there were two people living at The Glenmore Trust -40a Manor Road.

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.

Care plans were subject to regular review to ensure they met people’s needs. They were easy to read, based on assessment and reflected the preferences of people. Risk assessments were carried out and plans were in place to reduce risks to people’ safety and welfare.

Where people were not able to make important decisions about their lives the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed to protect their rights. Staff were aware of how to identify and report abuse. There were also policies in place that outlined what to do if staff had concerns about the practice of a colleague.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. They were trained to an appropriate standard and received regular supervision and appraisal. As part of their recruitment process the service carried out background checks on new staff.

The service managed medicines appropriately. They were correctly stored, monitored and administered in accordance with the prescription. People were supported to maintain their health and to access health services if needed. People who required support with eating and drinking received it and had their nutrition and hydration support needs regularly assessed.

Staff had developed good relationships with people and communicated in a warm and friendly manner. They demonstrated good communication skills in relation to the people they supported. They were aware of how to treat people with dignity and respect. Policies were in place that outlined acceptable standards in this area.

There was a complaints procedure in place that outlined how to make a complaint and how long it would take to deal with. People were aware of how to raise a complaint and who to speak to about any concerns they had. The registered manager understood the importance of acknowledging and improving areas of poor practice identified in complaints.

The home was well led by a registered manager who had a clear idea about the future of the service. The registered manager and the registered provider were working hard to decommission the service whilst making sure people were cared for and supported appropriately. A quality assurance system was in place that was utilised to improve the service.

We found that care planning was person centred, with people being involved in the development of their care and support. People were supported in a way that maximised their involvement and ensured that they had control over their lives, to the level of their ability. Each person we spoke with knew the staff very well and we saw they were all relaxed in their surroundings.

Health care needs were met through positive working relationships with external health professionals.

Staff were skilled at managing what could be possibly challenging behaviours and employed strategies to minimise risk. This ensured that the people living in the home had the best possible quality of life that was lived to their full potential.

All records pertaining to the running of the home were in place and up to date. They were stored in securely locked facilities.

People we spoke with said they liked living in the home and that the staff treated them well. One person said, "I really like it here, staff are great to get on with. They take me out to places I like to go, and for holidays." Another said, "The staff are helping me to get my room as I like it. We've been shopping and also looked on the internet".

We observed lively and positive interactions between staff and people in the home which made for a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We also observed staff responding sensitively to people with more limited communication and picking up cues from body language when they needed assistance or reassurance. Staff were well trained and supported to offer care and support to people in a skilled and sensitive manner.

We judged that people were leading interesting lives and were being supported to stay healthy and well. The home was well designed and equipped to effectively and safely care for people with limited mobility and more complex healthcare needs.