Seymour Court Nursing and Care Home

Updated 9 December 2020

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 the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

This inspection took place on 17 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 9 December 2020

About the service

Seymour Court Nursing and Care Home provides care to older people who require residential support with nursing. The service is registered with us to provide care for people who may be living with dementia, a physical disability and/or a sensory impairment. The care home accommodates 34 people in one adapted building. There were 31 people living at the service when we inspected.

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

People were at the heart of the service, and staff were motivated to deliver exceptional care. Staff used their knowledge of people and their relatives to make them feel special and part of the home. Staff showed genuine warmth and love for people. People and relatives overwhelmingly told us how wonderfully kind and compassionate the staff were.

Respecting people’s diverse personalities was core to the values of the service. People were supported to maintain important relationships. The registered manager and staff acted as strong advocates for people to have their views heard and respected. People and relatives confirmed they were treated with respect and dignity.

People and relatives felt people were safe living in the service. People told us there were enough staff on duty to meet their needs. Some improvements were required with staff recruitment files and we have made a recommendation about this. Following the inspection, the provider confirmed the improvements had been made and new processes implemented.

People’s health care needs were monitored and referrals made to health care professionals when required. Medicines management was safe and followed best practice. Relatives told us people received their medicines as prescribed.

There was a strong emphasis on the importance of eating and drinking well. People told us they liked the food and were able to make choices about what they had to eat.

Staff were proud and motivated to work for the service. People, relatives and professionals were complimentary about the staff team and their skills and knowledge. Staff told us they had the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge further.

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.

People received personalised care from staff who understood how to support their physical and mental wellbeing in a holistic way. People were empowered to make choices and have as much control as possible. People were involved in planning their own care and making decisions about how their needs were met.

Staff were passionate about ensuring people were treated with love, care at the end of their life and that their wishes were respected.

People lived in a service which had a visible person-centred culture and where people were clearly at the heart of the service. The registered manager and clinical lead were both skilled and motivated, and worked successfully together to lead the service. People’s views were valued and acted upon to help ensure they received a service that was tailored to their needs.

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 requires improvement (published 30 November 2018). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

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.