Archived: Seely Hirst House

The service had a registered manager. 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.

People told us they felt safe living at the home and staff knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse. Relevant information about incidents which occurred in the home was shared with the local authority and action taken on any recommendations that had been made. Risks to people’s safety, such as the risk of falling, were appropriately managed. The building was well maintained and the required safety checks were carried out.

There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff and people received care and support in a timely manner. The provider ensured appropriate checks were carried out on staff before they started work. People received their medicines as prescribed and they were safely stored. The registered manager took immediate action to ensure records relating to medicines were improved.

People were cared for effectively by staff who were provided with the knowledge, skills and support to care for them effectively. Further training was planned so that all staff would receive the training relevant to their role. People were asked to provide consent to the care they received. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) was used appropriately to protect people who were not able to make their own decisions about the care they received.

People were provided with sufficient quantities of food and drink told us they enjoyed the food. Staff ensured that people had access to any healthcare professionals they required and followed any guidance that was provided by them.

There were positive and caring relationships between staff and people. People were fully involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and made day to day decisions about what they wanted to do. People were treated in a dignified and respectful manner and staff respected their right to privacy.

People received care that was responsive to their changing needs and staff knew people’s support needs well. There was a range of activities provided and people told us they enjoyed taking part. People knew how to complain and any complaints received were appropriately and quickly responded to.

There was a positive and transparent culture in the home, people and staff were encouraged to speak up and their comments were acted upon. There were different ways people could provide feedback about the service they received and their comments were taken seriously. The quality monitoring systems ensured that any areas for improvement were identified and acted upon.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed all the information we had received from the provider. We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people. We spoke with eight people who used the service, three members of the management team and two staff. We also looked at some of the records held at the home which included care plans and staff recruitment records. We observed the support people received from staff and carried out a tour of the premises.

Is the service safe?

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs) which applies to care homes. We found that one application had been submitted. We also found policies and procedures were in place to ensure staff understood when an application should be made, and how to submit one.

People told us they felt they received their care and support in a safe manner. They also said they felt the home provided them with a safe and comfortable environment.

We saw that an on-call rota was displayed in the manager's office to ensure a member of the management team would be available at all times should staff require guidance in an emergency situation. We also found that systems were in place to ensure the environment was safe as on arrival to and departure from the service, we were asked to sign the visitor's book.

We found an effective recruitment system was in place to ensure that appropriate staff were employed at the home. We also found that staff were able to attend training events to obtain relevant qualifications pertinent to their roles and responsibilities.

We found systems were in place to audit the quality of the home's environment to identify any hazards which could compromise people's safety.

Is the service effective?

Systems were in place to ensure that people's individual needs could be identified at the point of admission. This was to ensure a care package could be devised and delivered in such a way as to address people's holistic needs. We also found that staff had a good understanding of people's individual preferences in relation to care delivery.

Is the service caring?

People who used the service told us they felt the staff had the right qualifications, skills and knowledge to perform their duties. One person told us, all the staff are lovely, no complaints,' whilst another said, 'We only have to ask and they (care staff) are there for us.'

Throughout the day of our inspection we observed staff asking people to make informed choices in relation to their food preferences and what activities they wanted to take part in. All observed staff interactions were undertaken in a kind, considerate and caring manner.

Is the service responsive?

We found systems were in place to ensure that effective needs assessments were performed. We also found the management team would utilise information from people's relatives and health care professionals to build a comprehensive picture of people's individual needs.

We found the provider had recently purchased a computer based care planning and home management system. The system was designed to aid the running of the home. It would provide a quick and easy way to carry out comprehensive assessments to produce fully personalised care plans. This showed that the manager was proactive in exploring new ways of working to improve the quality of service provision.

Is the service well-led?

We found the management team were clear about their roles and responsibilities within the home. One member of the team told us they felt the manager had improved the quality of the service and said the manager was very supportive and gave good direction to all the staff.

We found that systems were in place to ensure care staff received appropriate support and supervision from the management team. This was confirmed by staff and they said they could express their views and discuss any developments at the home.

Records also showed that people residing at the home, their relatives and visiting professionals had been supplied with a satisfaction survey in 2013. This encouraged them to comment on the quality of the service. We also found that an analysis of the consultation process had been undertaken to develop the quality of the service whilst recognising where improvement could be made.

Four people told us they could make their own choices and decisions about what they did and how they spent their time. One person said, 'I can spend my time as I like, I can join in activities or go to my room.' Another person said, 'I can make my own choices, I can get up and go to bed when I want to.'

We saw that appropriate assessments in respect of people being able to make their own decisions had taken place. However we did have one concern in respect one person's wishes being communicated to all staff effectively.

People told us staff were kind and their privacy and dignity was maintained. However one person told us this was at times compromised due to them having to wait for assistance. We saw this did happen on one occasion.

Four people told us they were happy and settled living at Seely Hirst. One person said, 'The staff are very good, they help me when needed, they know what I like and what I don't like.' Another person said, 'The staff help me, I only have to ask.'

Everyone we spoke with told us they felt that staff were well trained to carry out their job role. One person said, 'I am very happy and settled here, it is like a family. The staff are very kind and caring.' Another person said, 'I have good relationships with the staff, I think they are well trained but I also think that caring is natural with them.'