About the service Seaside Care Services is a supported living service providing care and support for up to 18 adults living with a range of physical and mental health conditions. People using the service lived in self-contained flats, five on the ground floor and 13 on the first and second floor. There were 16 people living at the service at the time of the inspection, four of whom were in receipt of personal care. These four people all lived on the ground floor.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe. Staff had completed safeguarding training and told us the steps they would take if the felt a person was at risk. Risk assessments tailored to people’s needs were in place covering for example, diabetes, epilepsy and differing behaviours. The service had enough, suitably trained staff to support people. Staff were recruited safely and underwent a robust induction process. Medicines were stored, administered, recorded and disposed of safely. Infection prevention and control was managed well and the registered manager shared learning from accidents and incidents with all staff.
The service used a key worker system and staff got to know the people they supported well. Some people were supported with their nutrition and hydration needs but most were able to shop and prepare food independently or with minimal support. 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 understood and applied, getting consent from people before any interaction.
People and their relatives and loved ones told us that staff were caring and treated them with respect and dignity. A relative told us, “This turned out to be a great move.” People’s privacy was respected and their independence encouraged without compromising their safety.
Care was provided in a person-centred way and people's wellbeing was supported. Staff were available to help people meet health and social care appointments if needed but the majority of people were either independent or supported by the families or loved ones. Similarly, most people were able to verbally communicate but processes were in place to help some people. Staff knew people well and were able to understand signs and gestures from people to allow communication. A complaints policy was in place and was readily accessible. Few complaints had been made but they all been dealt with in a timely way. No one at the service was in receipt of end of life care.
The registered manager was popular with people and staff and was accessible and approachable. Business plans were in place and a robust system of auditing took place. People and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service which was then analysed by the registered manager and provider to understand trends and issues arising.
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 the service under the previous provider was good, published on 19 December 2019.
Why we inspected
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all 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.
This was the first inspection for this service, registered with a new provider.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.