Seabourne House

Updated 27 October 2017

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on the 20 September 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. We reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR) and used this information when planning and undertaking the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make.

Before the inspection we asked for feedback from six healthcare professionals but did not receive any responses. During the inspection we spoke with four people, one staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager. After the inspection we spoke to one relative. Some people were not able to express their views clearly due to their limited communication, others could. We observed interactions between staff and people.

We looked at a variety of documents including four people’s support plans, risk assessments, activity plans, daily records of care and support, three staff recruitment files, training records, medicine administration records, and quality assurance information.

Updated 27 October 2017

This inspection took place on the 20 September 2017 and was unannounced. Seabourne House provides accommodation and support for up to five people who may have a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder or physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection four people were living at the service. All people had access to a communal lounge/dining area, kitchen, a shared bathroom and well maintained garden. Two people had bedrooms on the ground floor; two people had bedrooms on the first floor.

The service had a registered manager in post. The registered manager also had oversight of two other services. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 registered manager was present throughout the inspection.

The previous inspection on 21 and 22 June 2016 found five breaches of our regulations, an overall rating of requires improvement was given at that inspection. The provider had resolved the issues raised at the previous inspection which were no longer a concern at this inspection.

There were safe processes for storing, administering and returning medicines. People received their medicines in a person-centred and appropriate way.

Staffing was sufficient and flexible to meet people’s needs. Staff demonstrated they understood people and had good knowledge about their personal histories, interests and preferences. Staff had received sufficient training to help them complete their roles effectively.

Appropriate checks were made to keep people safe and safety checks were made regularly on equipment and the environment. People had individual personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) that staff could follow to ensure people were supported to leave the service in the most appropriate way in the event of a fire.

Employment checks had been made to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their roles.

Robust safeguarding guidance and contact information was available for staff to refer to should they need to raise concerns about people’s safety. Staff had good understanding about their responsibilities in relation to this. The provider audited safeguarding processes to ensure they remained robust.

The registered manager demonstrated a clear understanding of the process that must be followed if people were deemed to lack capacity to make their own decisions and the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. They ensured people’s rights were protected by meeting the requirements of the Act.

Regular monitoring and review of people’s health took place so action could be taken if further professional healthcare input was required.

People were supported to eat and drink and had choice around their meals.

Staff demonstrated caring attitudes towards people and spoke to them in a dignified and respectful way. Staff communicated with people in a person-centred and individual way to meet their own specific needs. There was a relaxed and open atmosphere; people were kept involved in all aspects of the service.

Care plans were meaningful and contained specific detail so staff could understand people better, care plans were a reflection of what happened in practice. People chose to participate in a variety of recreational activities inside and outside of the service.

Complaints were recorded and responded to effectively. There were systems in place outlining timescales of the complaints process and details of what actions the complainant should expect throughout the investigation process.

Robust systems for monitoring the service and identifying areas in need of improvement had been established since out last visit. The provider listened to people and their representatives and acted on feedback.