Seymour Gardens

Updated 2 February 2022

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 care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 25 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours notice of the inspection.

Updated 2 February 2022

The unannounced inspection took place on 30 January and 5 February 2018. At our last inspection in December 2015 there were no regulatory breaches. However, we rated "Effective" as "Requires Improvement" and made a recommendation about the premises needing to be refurbished and made more adaptable for people. During this inspection we found that improvements had been made, including redecorating and a new carpet.

Seymour Gardens accommodates up to five people with a learning disability in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were five people living at the service.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

On the day of our visit, a registered manager was in place and gave us access to all the records we needed. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

People told us they felt safe and trusted the staff that supported them. They knew staff by name and told us staff were kind and caring and treated them with dignity and respect.

Staff were aware of the steps to take to safeguard people from harm. They had attended relevant training and were able to explain how they would recognise and report abuse.

Medicines were managed safely by staff that had undergone the necessary training. However we made a recommendation to follow best practice guidelines for all as required medicines.

Accidents and incidents were managed safely. Any identified trends were discussed with staff and steps taken to reduce avoidable harm.

Risk assessments were in place for the environment and for people and these were known by staff in order to enable them to take appropriate steps to minimise harm.

People were protected from the risk of infection. Staff had attended food hygiene and infection control training and wore personal protective clothing when required.

People told us there were enough staff to meet their needs. There were robust recruitment systems in place to ensure only staff that had undergone the necessary checks and were suitable to work in a care setting were employed.

People were assisted to be as independent as possible at times with the aid of assistive technology. They were enabled to eat a balanced diet that met their individual and cultural specific needs. Where required they were supported to see healthcare professionals in order to maintain their health.

Staff had attended relevant training and were supported by means of regular supervision and annual appraisal. They were aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2015 and how they applied it in practice.

People told us their consent was sought before support was delivered. Where restrictions were in place these had been done following capacity assessments and best interests decisions.

Assessments took place before people started to use the service. These were followed up by holistic personalised support plans which were reviewed regularly to ensure they accurately represented people's social, religious and physical support.

People were able to express their concerns and told us these were listened to. There was a complaints policy which was known and followed by people and staff. The registered manager monitored and investigated complaints to ensure they were resolved in a timely manner.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place to ensure the quality of care delivered was monitored. We made a recommendation about ensuring policies are kept up to date in a timely manner.

People, their relatives and staff reported that the management was approachable and worked to try and ensure people’s needs were met.