Background to this inspection
Updated
20 March 2021
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.
As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.
This inspection took place on 11 March 2021 and was announced.
Updated
20 March 2021
About the service:
Glenholme is a respite service which provides a mix of planned and emergency short breaks for people with learning disabilities. The service had ten respite beds, three short stay beds and one emergency placement. The service had 30 people who used the service during the year. At the time of the inspection there were five people in the service.
People’s experience of using this service:
People felt safe and relatives were happy with staff. Staff knew how to report potential abuse and to take immediate action to protect people. Risk was considered for all aspects of care but not all risk assessments were current. The acting manager agreed to check all risk assessments for relevance and accuracy.
Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs promptly. There were robust medication procedures in place and staff could explain the processes well. The home was clean and although in the middle of some building improvements, was checked regularly to ensure the environment was safe for people.
Staff were supported with regular supervision and had up to date training. Staff had a good understanding of complex needs and were able to respond well. They demonstrated through discussion and observation a sound understanding of seeking people’s consent, and how to support people if they lacked capacity to make specific decisions. The service had appropriate Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard authorisations in place but needed to review any conditions more clearly to ensure compliance.
People received support with nutrition and hydration as required, and external health and social care services worked closely with the service to ensure optimum support for people. Communication between such services was appropriate and detailed, and staff took a holistic view of people’s needs.
People were happy with care staff and their attitude, describing them as friendly, kind and patient. Staff clearly knew people well, and documentation showed people’s choices and preferences were noted. We found positive examples of promoting independence and respecting sexuality. Privacy and dignity was respected and evident in all interactions between staff and people using the service.
Some relatives felt there was a lack of activities for people, but the service did well to balance people’s differing needs and requirements. Care was delivered in a person-centred manner and reflected in the records we saw.
The service had not received any complaints but everyone we spoke with knew who to contact and staff felt able to raise any issues. We received much positive feedback from people using the service, their relatives and professionals.
Due to the lack of registered manager the audits were brief, however all aspects of care were reviewed. The acting manager agreed to ensure any actions taken were logged and recorded as completed.
Rating at last inspection:
Good (Report published 12 July 2016).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection in conjunction with our inspection schedule.
Follow up:
The service will continue to be monitored in line with our inspection programme, and if information of concern is raised, this will be investigated.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk