Archived: Glen Cottage

Updated 14 December 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Glen Cottage is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The registered manager was also responsible for managing another of the provider’s local care homes.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service including previous inspection reports and notifications received by the Care Quality Commission. A notification tells us about important issues and events which have happened at the service. The provider had not been asked to complete a provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We instead discussed this information with the registered manager during the inspection.

During the inspection

Due to the complex nature of the needs of the person using the service, we were not able to seek their views about their care. We therefore spent time in the communal areas listening and watching how staff interacted with them.

We spoke with the registered manager and three care workers. We reviewed the person’s care records and other records relating to the management of the service such as medicines administration records, audits and staff rotas.

After the inspection

Following the inspection, we sought feedback from five health and social care professionals who worked closely with the home but received no responses.

Updated 14 December 2019

About the service

Glen Cottage is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for one person. The home is located in a residential area close to community facilities. At the time of the inspection there was one person living at Glen Cottage.

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

The person had a stable staff team caring for them and this helped to ensure they were safe and secure. Medicines were administered safely by staff who had received training and had been assessed as competent. The service was overall visibly clean. Staff received training in safeguarding adults from harm and had a positive attitude to reporting concerns.

Care plans were holistic and detailed. Staff were, overall, suitably trained, well supported and had the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their roles and meet their responsibilities. Meal choices were provided, and the person was supported to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. The design and layout of the building was suitable but some of the internal décor and fixtures and fittings would benefit from being updated or replaced.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensured that the person lived as full a life as possible. They had maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

Staff had developed caring and meaningful relationships with the person. Staff understood the importance of providing dignified care and of maintaining the person’s independence.

The small and stable staff team knew the person well and this helped to ensure that they received person centred care that met their individual needs. Their communication needs were identified and planned for. Meaningful activities were provided, although not always well evidenced.

Feedback about the registered manager was positive. The registered manager was open and collaborative and worked in partnership with staff, local organisations and agencies to strengthen local relationships and improve care.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was ‘Good’ (May 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.

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