Seeds Care Limited

Updated 28 July 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The service also provides care and support to people living in seven ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 29 June 2021 and ended on 6 July 2021. We visited the office location on 29 June 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, nominated individual, team leader and support workers. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We contacted two professionals who supported people using the service.

Updated 28 July 2021

About the service

60 St Peter’s Road is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection two people were receiving personal care.

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

People and relatives spoke positively about the support they received. They told us they were supported by staff who understood their needs and had the skills to support them.

People were protected from the risks of abuse and discrimination. Staff knew how to report concerns and were confident they would be dealt with appropriately. Risks to people’s health, safety and welfare had been assessed. There was guidance for staff to mitigate the risk.

Staff were recruited safely and completed an induction. Staff completed training in a wide range of subjects to enable them to support people safely. They told us they felt supported by the management team and received regular supervision. People were supported to have their medicines safely.

Staff wore personal protective equipment and had access to stock. They had completed infection, prevention and control training. Staff and people took part in regular COVID-19 testing following government guidance.

Before people started to use the service, an assessment and transition plan was developed. Relatives told us the transition plan had been effective and their loved one had settled into the service.

People had detailed care and support plans. These included details of people’s choices, preferences and the way they liked to be supported.

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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives to enable them to live their life to the full.

Right care:

• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People were supported in a positive way to enable them to live as independently as possible.

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. The management team and staff had a positive impact on people’s wellbeing, confidence and quality of life.

There was a complaints process in place. People had raised issues, and these had been investigated and action taken when required.

People, staff and relatives told us the service was well managed. People and staff had been supported to express their views about the service. Checks and audits had been completed and any shortfalls found had been rectified.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 11 July 2018, the service did not start providing a regulated activity until 5 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the length of time since the service started providing a regulated activity.

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.