The Seagulls

Updated 17 January 2020

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. 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Seagulls 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the home 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small home and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the home since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the home. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their home, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who lived at the home and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager and two care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and 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 home, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We contacted two healthcare professionals for their feedback about the home. We sought clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We requested further information relating to fire risk assessments and personal evacuation plans.

Updated 17 January 2020

About the service

The Seagulls is a residential care home providing personal care to four people at the time of the inspection. People at the home were living with a learning disability. Some people had physical care needs and required support with their communication needs. The home can support up to 6 people.

The Seagulls is a detached house in Saltdean. The home operates over two floors and had been adapted to meet the needs of people who lived there. People had their own bedrooms and bathrooms and shared the communal areas and garden.

The home had been open for a number of years and therefore had not been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. However, the home applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice and independence. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

People were safe at the home and protected from the risk of abuse. One relative said, “All of them are very safe. They are always checking everybody.” There were sufficient numbers of staff to keep people safe.

People were protected from harm as much as possible. Risks to people had been considered and safeguards were put in place to protect people from these risks. People were supported to eat and drink enough food.

People received kind and compassionate care. People’s independence was promoted by staff. People were treated with respect and dignity and supported to make decisions about their care. Our own observations supported this, and we saw friendly relationships had developed between people and staff.

The registered manager was well regarded and had a clear vision for the home which was understood by the staff and embedded within their practice. There were effective quality assurance systems in place that were used to drive improvements. People, their relatives and staff were asked for their feedback about the home and meetings were held regularly.

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 home supported this practice.

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 good (published 12 April 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.