Seagulls Home Care Ltd

Updated 6 February 2019

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 10 and 14 January 2019 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Before the inspection we checked the information that we held about the service and the service provider. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used all this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with three people who use the service, three relatives and two care staff over the telephone. On the day of inspection, we spoke to the deputy manager and the registered manager and observed two call visits to people’s houses.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the service was managed. These included care records for three people, medicine administration records (MAR), two staff training records, employment records, quality assurance audits, incident reports and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 6 February 2019

Seagulls Home Care Ltd provides domiciliary care and support for people in their own home. The service provides personal care, help, and support to older people. At the time of our inspection 14 people were receiving a care service.

At our last inspection on 26 July 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People were protected from avoidable harm. Staff knew how to recognise the potential signs of abuse and what action to take to keep people safe. People told us they felt safe and knew who to contact if they had any concerns. The registered manager continued to ensure there was enough staff to support people safely and they followed safe recruitment processes.

People continued to receive their medicines safely and on time and staff were trained in administering medicines. People knew what their medication was for and told us they felt reassured by the support with their medicines. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection and staff wore gloves and aprons when supporting people.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported to maintain their health and had support to access health care services when they needed to. One person told us, “Carers would help call a doctor if I needed one.” People were supported to maintain a balanced diet.

People continued to receive kind and compassionate care. People told us staff were kind and caring. One person told us, “The carers show concern over you which is nice and I like that.” We saw positive interaction between staff and people. One person told us, “I like the security of being able to stay in my own home and being cared for.”

People continued to receive personalised care that was responsive to their needs. One person told us “The carers know my history and my needs are documented in my support plan.” People and relatives knew how to make a complaint and told us they felt listened to and had confidence that the manager and staff would take action.

People and staff spoke positively about the culture of Seagulls Home Care. There were clear lines of accountability and the provider continued to have effective quality assurance processes in place. People told us they thought the service was well managed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.