Archived: Glebe House

Glebe House is a care home that provides personal and nursing care for up to 53 people. The service is provided in accommodation over three floors. At the time of the inspection, 44 people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Those people who used the service expressed unreserved satisfaction and spoke highly of all staff and services provided. Comments included, “Your compassion, dedication and patience is immeasurable”, “It’s a special place, full of special people”, “Thank you for the outstanding care you provide” and “Glebe House is of outstanding quality led by exceptional management. On arrival, the peaceful ambience of the entire home is apparent. My husband receives the kindest care and attention”.

People and their relatives agreed the service was safe. Comments included, “Dad is very happy here and I feel he is safe and well supported” and “They treat us very well here, I do feel safe”. The registered manager and staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep people safe from harm. Risks were assessed and plans put in place to keep people safe. There was enough staff to safely provide care and support to people. Checks were carried out on staff before they started work to assess their suitability to support vulnerable people. Medicines were well managed and people received their medicines as prescribed. People were protected by the homes infection control policy and procedures.

The service provided an effective service. Innovative and creative ways to train and develop their staff was based on research and best practice guidelines to enhance quality and safety of the service provision. People continued to receive a nutritious, healthy diet. The home was decorated and maintained to a very high standard whilst maintaining a homely feel. People were consulted about the adaptation and design of their home and choice and preferences were respected. There were various areas to enjoy activity, events and personal private time. The service had been creative in developing areas of the home that would enhance people’s wellbeing.

The service was exceptionally caring and put people at the heart of everything they did. We were introduced to people throughout our visit and they welcomed us. They were relaxed, comfortable and confident in their home. Staff had a good awareness of individuals' needs and treated people in a warm and respectful manner. They were knowledgeable about people's lives before they started using the service. Every effort was made to enhance this knowledge so that people’s life experiences remained meaningful. One relative recently wrote to the registered manager and said, “Please pass on our thanks to all the staff who work so hard to make mums life so full, safe and especially happy. I feel privileged to be part of the extended family”.

The service was exceptionally responsive to people’s health and social needs. People received person centred care and support. Regular monitoring and reviews meant that referrals had been made to appropriate health and social care professionals. Where necessary care and support had been changed to accurately reflect people's needs and improve their health and wellbeing. People were offered a range of activities both at the service and in the local community. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes.

People benefitted from a service that was very well led. The whole staff team had been incredibly proud when they received their outstanding CQC rating in January 2017. The provider, registered manager, deputy and staff team maintained a clear focus on continually seeking to improve the service people received. Everyone demonstrated strong values and, a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service. Good quality assurance systems were in place and based upon regular, scheduled audits, which identified any action required to make improvements. This meant the quality of service people received was monitored on a regular basis and, where shortfalls were identified they were acted upon.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Outstanding (published February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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.

The ethos, vision and values were provider led and as such applied across all their services. This included, current best practice, innovation, plans for the future and striving to be the best. It was evident that the provider and registered managers worked in collaboration. However each service was additionally recognised for its own individuality and the healthy, respectful, working relationship for each to strive independently based on their own merits and in addition to those at organisation level.

We were introduced to people throughout our visits and they welcomed us. People were relaxed, comfortable and confident in their home. We received positive comments about people’s views and experiences throughout our visits and these are detailed throughout the report.

One person wrote in one of the homes newsletters, “From the chefs who pander to my sometimes odd appetite and who keep me supplied with the fruit I love, through to the cleaners who keep my room spotless, to the tireless laundresses to the nurses and carers who keep a watchful eye on me whilst allowing me to lead my own life- I am happy. My deepest gratitude Glebe House”.

Staff involved in this inspection demonstrated a genuine passion for the roles they performed and individual responsibilities. Visions and plans for the future were understood and shared across the staff team. They embraced new initiatives with the support of the registered manager and colleagues. They continued to look at the needs of people who used the service and ways to improve these so that people felt able to make positive changes.

People experienced a lifestyle that met their individual expectations, capacity and preferences. There was a strong sense of empowering people wherever possible and providing facilities where independence would be encouraged and celebrated. People’s health, well-being and safety were paramount.

The registered manager listened to people and staff to ensure there were enough staff to meet people's needs. They demonstrated their responsibilities in recognising changing circumstances within the service and used a risk based approach to help ensure that staffing levels and skill mix was effective.

Staff had the knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles effectively. They enjoyed attending training sessions and sharing what they had learnt with colleagues. There was an emphasis on teamwork and unison amongst staff at all levels.

People were supported to enjoy a healthy, nutritious, balanced diet whilst promoting and respecting choice. The ‘residents’ annual surveys consistently reflected how much they enjoyed the quality of food, the variety and the constant access to beverages and snacks through the day.

Staff had a good awareness of individuals' needs and treated people in a warm and respectful manner. They were knowledgeable about people's lives before they started using the service. Every effort was made to enhance this knowledge so that their life experiences remained meaningful. People were supported to maintain their personal interests and hobbies.

The registered manager understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). For people who were assessed as not having capacity, records showed that their advocates or families and healthcare professionals were involved in making decisions.

People received appropriate care and support because there were effective systems in place to assess, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate people's needs. People were involved throughout these processes. This ensured their needs were clearly identified and the support they received was meaningful and personalised.

Regular monitoring and reviews meant that referrals had been made to appropriate health and social care professionals and where necessary care and support had been changed and implemented to accurately reflect people's needs.

People were listened to and action was taken to make improvements to their quality of life. The service welcomed reviews by professional external bodies. This year they had received positive results from the Staffordshire University who reviewed the home’s dementia care provision. Details are contained within this report. The registered manager monitored and audited the quality of care provided striving to meet the ever changing needs of people living in the home.

Everyone we spoke with shared their positive experiences about living in the home and the care they received. We spent time in various parts of the home, including communal areas and individual bedrooms so that we could observe the direct care, attention and support that people were receiving.

The manager and staff gave us a warm welcome and they were enthusiastic to be part of the inspection. The majority of staff had worked in the home for a long time and were knowledgeable about people and their needs which meant that people could expect consistency of care. Good relationships of trust and understanding had been formed. Staff were equipped to support people effectively.

People looked well and were relaxed and happy when we visited. People were spending time in the lounge with visitors, some were enjoying the privacy of being in their own rooms and people were walking freely around parts of the home and the gardens.

We spent time in various parts of the home, including communal areas and individual bedrooms so that we could observe the direct care, attention and support that people who lived at this home received.

People were positive about their experiences. Comments included, 'We have not lived here long but everything so far has been extremely positive', 'The staff are kind and caring and some of them really make me smile' and 'I have made some new friends and I like to meet up with them during the day. My room is beautiful and I enjoy the peace and the beautiful view, this is where I can relax'.