This inspection took place on 13 and 19 April 2017 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and registered provider did not know we would be visiting.

Seaham View provides care and accommodation for up to 12 people with a learning disability. On the day of our inspection there were 10 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

We last inspected the service in February 2015 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people who used the service. The registered provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service and appropriate health and safety checks had been carried out.

Risk assessments were in place when required and accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and analysed.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the administration and storage of medicines.

Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. The majority of staff mandatory training was up to date and where gaps had been identified, training was planned.

The registered provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and was following the requirements in the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Healthcare professionals had been consulted and staff were appropriately trained to ensure people were protected from the risk of poor nutrition.

People who used the service and family members were complimentary about the standard of care at Seaham View.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were written in a person-centred way. Person-centred is about ensuring the person is at the centre of any care or support plans and their individual wishes, needs and choices are taken into account.

People who used the service were consulted about activities and interests, and activities were arranged based on people’s likes and interests and to help meet their social needs.

The registered provider had an effective complaints procedure in place and people who used the service and family members were aware of how to make a complaint.

The service had good links with the local community and local organisations.

Staff felt supported by the management team and were comfortable raising any concerns. People who used the service, family members and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service.

We visited Seaham View to follow up a previous inspection. In June 2013, we found people were not protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had not made appropriate arrangements to manage medicines.

During this inspection we found Seaham View had made progress on implementing their improvement plans. Medicines were safely administered. The provider had put in place arrangements to ensure medicines were kept safely.

People took part in a range of community-based activities and outings. One person told us “I like going for walks”, another told us “I go to the pictures (cinema)”

We found that members of staff were very attentive to people's needs. People looked well cared for and at ease with the staff members who were supporting them.

People’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

On this occasion we were not able to talk to any residents but observed their care in the lounge.

People spoken with were positive about the staff. One person said, The staff are nice, they treat me well" People said that they "liked living here" and "the staff are nice, they help me to do what I can"..

This inspection took place on 3 and 10 February 2015 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

Seaham View provides care and support for up to 12 people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and associated complex needs. On the day of our inspection there were 10 people using the service.      

The home had a registered manager in place, as well as a temporary acting manager and a newly appointed manager who was in induction.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.      

Seaham View was last inspected by CQC on 1 October 2014 and was rated as inadequate however improvments were noted at this inspection.     

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people using the service. The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff.

Thorough investigations had been carried out in response to safeguarding incidents or allegations and a medication audit had been carried out by the acting manager.    

The recording of incidents was not consistent

and this had been identified as an issue by the provider. Staff and management were aware of this and were reviewing systems to see how they could ensure information was captured and used to improve people’s experience of the service, and the safety of people and staff.

Staff training had been planned and most staff had been trained in autism awareness and positive behaviour support. We saw training was planned and monitored to ensure all staff had the relevant training to carry out their role. 

Staff were able to tell us about the knowledge they had gained from autism specific training and how it had improved their work and relationships with people they supported.

Staff received supervisions and appraisals but although it was planned, this was not consistent and regular for everyone working within the service.  The provider had put a plan in place to ensure these were carried out more consistently in the future.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service. People’s bedrooms had been personalised with support from key workers. 

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. We discussed DoLS with the acting manager and looked at records. We found the provider was following the requirements in the DoLS. 

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

We saw that the home had a programme of activities in place for people who used the service. We saw people accessing the community with the support from staff. One person showed us items they had purchased from the local shops which they were very pleased with and another person had been out swimming.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they moved into Seaham View and care plans were written in a person centred way. Staff told us that daily diaries and care plans had improved tremendously in the last few months and they were making improvements all the time to ensure activities were planned, meaningful and resourced appropriately.

The provider had a complaints policy and procedure in place and complaints were fully investigated.

The provider had a robust quality assurance system in place and gathered information about the quality of their service from a variety of sources.