Archived: The Seagulls

The Seagulls is a residential care home providing personal care to four people at the time of the inspection. People at the home were living with a learning disability. Some people had physical care needs and required support with their communication needs. The home can support up to 6 people.

The Seagulls is a detached house in Saltdean. The home operates over two floors and had been adapted to meet the needs of people who lived there. People had their own bedrooms and bathrooms and shared the communal areas and garden.

The home had been open for a number of years and therefore had not been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. However, the home applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice and independence. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

People were safe at the home and protected from the risk of abuse. One relative said, “All of them are very safe. They are always checking everybody.” There were sufficient numbers of staff to keep people safe.

People were protected from harm as much as possible. Risks to people had been considered and safeguards were put in place to protect people from these risks. People were supported to eat and drink enough food.

People received kind and compassionate care. People’s independence was promoted by staff. People were treated with respect and dignity and supported to make decisions about their care. Our own observations supported this, and we saw friendly relationships had developed between people and staff.

The registered manager was well regarded and had a clear vision for the home which was understood by the staff and embedded within their practice. There were effective quality assurance systems in place that were used to drive improvements. People, their relatives and staff were asked for their feedback about the home and meetings were held regularly.

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 home supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 12 April 2017).

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.

The service had a registered manager who was also one of the partners who owned the service. 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.

Some risks to safety had not been fully assessed, identified and responded to. This included the possible risk of fire at night. Staffing deployment and fire procedures at night did not ensure all people could be evacuated safely. The registered manager was following this safety matter up with the fire and rescue service.

People were looked after by staff who knew and understood their individual needs well. Staff treated people with kindness and compassion and supported them to maintain their independence and emotional welfare. People and relatives and visiting professionals were positive about the care, the approach of the staff and atmosphere in the home. Staff showed respect and maintained people’s dignity. People had access to health care professionals when needed.

People’s medicines were stored, administered and disposed of safely by staff that were suitably trained. People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and knew what actions to take if they believed people were at risk of abuse. Staff were trained on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered and deputy manager worked with the DoLS assessors to ensure the rights of people were maintained.

Staff were provided with a training programme which supported them to meet people’s needs. Staff were well motivated and given the opportunity to develop their skills. Staff felt well supported and on call arrangements ensured suitable management cover. Recruitment records showed there were systems in place to ensure staff were suitable to work with people who lived in the home.

People had the opportunity to take part in any activity that they wanted to and to socialise with relatives and friends. Staff related to people as individuals and took an interest in what was important to them. Activities and outings arranged took account of people’s choices and preferences. Visitors told us they were warmly welcomed and people were supported in maintaining their own friendships and relationships.

People liked the food provided and were involved in the planning of menus. People had enough to eat and drink and their nutritional needs were assessed and monitored when needed. People were given information on how to make a complaint and any concerns raised were responded to appropriately. There was an open culture at the home and this was promoted by the staff and management arrangements. People were asked for their feedback about the service and this was acted on.

There was an open culture in the service with the registered and deputy manager being visible and approachable. Staff enjoyed working at the home and felt supported. Feedback was regularly sought from people, relatives and staff. People were encouraged to share their views on a daily basis and satisfaction surveys had been completed. People were given information on how to make a complaint and said they were comfortable to raise a concern or to give feedback.

People who used the service told us that they liked living at the home, they were happy with the care they received and that the service met their needs. They told us that staff were 'Very kind and caring' and there was always someone around to provide help and support. One person who used the service told us, "I'm very happy here and have no complaints".

We saw that individual care plans provided guidance for care workers, to ensure that the assessed current and on-going support needs of people using the service could be met consistently and safely.

We found that care workers had developed awareness and a sound understanding of each individual's care and support needs.

People were protected against the risks associated with medication because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.

We saw that the service had effective recruitment procedures in place. Staff told us that they had received regular training and supervision. They said they felt valued and were supported to carry out their roles and meet the needs of people who used the service.

The service had effective systems in place to deal with people's comments and complaints.

In some cases people had been living at the home for more than twelve years and we were able to see that this had enabled them to develop close relationships both with one another and with the staff who cared for them. Care workers were clear on how they needed to support each person in line with their individual care plans. This included maintaining people's independence whilst accommodating their wishes and preferences.

People told us they were involved in making decisions about their care and one who was celebrating their birthday described excitedly how they were going out for lunchtime treat. Staff were preparing a birthday cake for the home to have a celebration tea later in the day. We asked the person what it was like living at the Seagulls and they told us "I like living here, I've been here a long time and I am really looking forward to going out for my birthday".

There were weekly meetings held for people living in the home to express their views. The provider had a formal system for monitoring, handling and responding to complaints which was displayed and people told us they were aware of how to use it.