Seymour House

Updated 21 November 2020

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

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two Inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Seymour House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection as part of our risk assessment in relation to COVID-19.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, team development manager, care workers and a quality and compliance consultant. We observed staff interactions with people to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included parts of four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at infection prevention records and further care records. We spoke with one professional and received written feedback from four professionals who were involved with the service.

Updated 21 November 2020

About the service

Seymour House is a residential care home providing personal care to a maximum of 11 adults with a learning disability and adults on the autism spectrum. The care home accommodates people in two adjoined and one detached domestic premises. At the time of our visit five people were supported in the adjoined premises and the detached premises was vacant due to refurbishment work.

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

People benefitted from systems which were established and embedded by the service to reduce the risk of abuse and ensure people’s welfare. Staff understood risks to people and took action to mitigate the risk of harm. Relatives told us their family members experienced a safe service, with comments such as, “[Staff] have got everything for [family member’s] safety” and “I feel that there’s adequate staffing. [Staff are] aware of [family member’s] needs.”

Staff supported people to access a range of healthcare services in response to their needs. The environment was adapted to improve people’s access to facilities. Staff received mandatory training and specific training to meet people’s needs such as autism awareness and positive behaviour support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care planning was person-centred and focused on people’s individual needs and preferences. Records showed that people and their relatives were involved in reviewing their care plans. The service risk assessed and enabled people to visit their relatives where this benefitted their well-being, during the pandemic. Regular contact was maintained between people and relatives through video calls.

The service had changed its management and staffing structure. This had improved the registered manager’s ability to develop and monitor systems and policies and procedure to ensure safe, quality care. Relatives and staff consistently told us the management team were approachable and listened to any concerns or ideas they had to continuously develop the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right culture. We did not look at the component of right care as part of this inspection.

We found the premises had signage in the window which suggested the service was a care home and was not in line with the principles of national guidance for this.

Right support:

• The model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence. We found the premises had signage in the window which indicated the service was a care home. The registered manager immediately took this down to ensure they were fully in line with the principles of registering the right support.

Right care:

• We did not inspect the Caring domain as part of this inspection and did not look at all the components in relation to right care.

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 3 June 2020). This service has been in Special Measures since 20 April 2020. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements. The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Seymour House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.