Seacroft Green Care Centre

Updated 4 September 2021

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.

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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and a specialist advisor in governance. An onsite Expert by Experience also supported the inspection. 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

Seacroft Green Care Village 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. However, they were not in post during this inspection and were in the process of de-registering. A registered manager and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. It is a condition of registration that the service has a manager registered with CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. We visited the location on 22 June 2021 and continued to review information off-site until 6 August 2021.

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 five people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the nominated individual, the deputy manager, three Clinical Leads, the Clinical Governance Manager, the Pharmacy Manager, a registered nurse and a care assistant.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with contracts and commissioning officers from the local heath service and from the local authority. We spoke with a health case management professional who had recently visited the home.

Updated 4 September 2021

About the service

Seacroft Green Care Village is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 63 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 76 people. There are four separate units specialising in providing nursing care for working age adults, older people and those living with dementia.

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

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and identify when improvements were needed. These were not sufficiently robust to have identified all the issues we found in relation to safe care and treatment. Some care plans lacked up to date and accurate information to guide staff. People’s care interventions were not always recorded in a way that showed they were having all their needs met.

People told us they felt safe living at Seacroft Green Care Village. There were systems in place to recognise and respond to any allegations of abuse. People spoke highly of the permanent care staff although reported a high use of agency staff. Some people told us there were not enough staff on duty at all times. However, the provider’s dependency tool confirmed there were enough staff to meet people's needs. The provider was busy recruiting new staff to minimise the use of agency staff and they followed safe practices to ensure new recruits had the skills and values for the role and all the required checks were in place.

Infection control practices were safe, and the home was clean and tidy. Staff followed the latest government guidance to protect people from the risks associated with COVID-19. People, their relatives, and staff were asked for their views on the home and suggestions for improvements. Staff told us they had been supported by the provider and management during the pandemic. The provider had up to date policies and procedures which reflected current legislation and good practice guidance.

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 good (published 19 January 2021).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about safe care and treatment. We had received a number of complaints from relatives and several whistle-blowers had contacted us to raise concerns. This meant the home was scoring very high on our intelligence monitoring. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Seacroft Green Care Village 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.