Seccombe Court

Seccombe Court is a purpose-built residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 60 people. The home is spread across 2 floors and divided into 4 separate units each of which has separate adapted facilities. One of the units specialises in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 57 people using the service.

This service has a dual registration which means there are two registered providers jointly managing the regulated activities at this single location. They are Care UK Community Partnerships Ltd and WT UK Opco 4 Limited. This means the service is subject to one inspection visit however the report is published on our website twice, under each provider.

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

Arrangements for social activities met people's individual needs and followed best practice guidance so people could live as full a life as possible. Activities were facilitated by a team led by an enthusiastic coordinator. The service had gone the extra mile to find out what people wished and evaluated whether it could accommodate activities and made them happen. The provider facilitated a ‘wish list’ where people could discuss their wishes and staff did all they could to grant those wishes. The service understood the needs of different people and delivered care and support in a way that met those needs. For example, staff recognised the need for engaging activities for people living with dementia such as pet therapy.

People told us they felt safe living at Seccombe Court. Staff knew how to identify and report any concerns. Planned staffing levels were met and recruitment was ongoing. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs. The provider had safe recruitment and selection processes in place.

Risks to people's safety and well-being were managed through a risk management process. The environment was clean and allowed free movement for people and their relatives. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People and relatives told us staff were caring. Staff did all they could to promote people’s independence and we saw examples of this. People received personalised care, tailored to their individual needs and preferences, and staff supported people and their relatives to be involved with decisions relating to their care. People's privacy and dignity was upheld through the approaches taken by staff as well as in relation to the care environment, as people each had access to their own bedrooms with ensuite bathroom facilities.

People had a pleasant dining experience which offered a variety of food choices available at times that suited people’s preferences. Staff supported people to maintain food and fluid intakes. People’s feedback on food had been used to improve the dining experience.

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. Staff had a particularly good understanding of when the principles of the Mental Capacity Act should be applied.

The home was well-led by a registered manager who was committed to improving people’s quality of life. There was a clear management structure in place and a group of staff who worked well as a team. The provider had clear oversight of the service and effective quality assurance systems in place that they used to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Staff worked well with external social and health care professionals.

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 under the previous provider was good (Published 24 May 2018)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.