CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Seaview House Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found people were protected from harm, medicines were managed safely, staffing was sufficient and infection control arrangements were effective. Some older information remained in care plans.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. The rating was carried forward from the last inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. The rating was carried forward from the last inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this focused visit. The rating was carried forward from the last inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found effective quality checks, clear responsibilities, visible management and a calm, inclusive culture. The provider was no longer in breach of the governance regulation.
What inspectors found, May 2023
Rated Good; inspectors found safe care and stronger management, but some care-plan information was out of date.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 19 and 27 April 2023. Two inspectors reviewed information from the service, spoke with one person and four staff, observed care, and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines systems, suitable recruitment checks, infection control arrangements and regular checks on quality and safety. People were also supported under the Mental Capacity Act and could receive visitors without restrictions.
The inspection followed an earlier Requires Improvement rating and an action plan. Inspectors found enough improvement for the home to no longer be in breach of regulations. However, this was a focused inspection, so the other areas were not reassessed and the overall Good rating used previous ratings for those areas.
Safe medicines
Staff were trained and assessed as competent. Medicines records were complete and the new dispensing system was understood by staff.
“Medicines Administration Records (MAR) were fully completed, and staff were observed administering medicines appropriately.” from the report
Staffing and recruitment
There were enough staff, with a consistent team who knew people well. Recruitment checks and staff training were in place.
“There were enough staff to provide safe and meaningful care to people living in the service.” from the report
Infection control
The home followed current infection prevention guidance. Staff had training, protective equipment was available and no concerns were found during the inspection.
“During the inspection, no areas of concern were identified.” from the report
Management oversight
Inspectors found regular audits and clear links between identifying concerns and taking action. The management team was visible and involved.
“Systems and processes in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service were effective in identifying areas for change and improvement.” from the report
Calm atmosphere
People were observed engaging with each other and approaching staff confidently. Staff spent time with people and the atmosphere was relaxed.
“The atmosphere in the service was relaxed and calm.” from the report
Old information in care plans
needs fixingCare plans were person-centred, but some contained older medical information that was no longer relevant. The provider was moving to a digital system to address this.
“However, there was a lot of out of date information contained in the plans, such as older medical information, which was no longer relevant.” from the report
Laundry room improvement
minorThe laundry room was maintained, but the provider had identified it for refurbishment to improve space and the movement of soiled laundry.
“The laundry room had been identified by the provider as an area requiring improvement” from the report
- 01Which parts of my relative's care plan have been moved to the new digital system, and how do you check that old medical information is removed?
- 02What improvements are planned for the laundry room, and when are they expected to be completed?
- 03What were the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive at the last comprehensive inspection?
- 04How are medicines checked under the new dispensing system, and what happens if an error is found?
- 05How can relatives raise concerns, and how will the home keep them informed about the response?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings were carried forward from the last inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 May 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, May 2021
Seaview House Nursing Home was rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found caring staff but serious weaknesses in infection control and service oversight.
This was an unannounced focused inspection after concerns about staff not wearing the right protective equipment and about COVID-19 infection control. Inspectors visited on 15 and 20 April 2021, observed care, spoke with people and staff, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home had enough staff, safe recruitment checks, caring staff and good medicine arrangements. However, staff were not wearing face masks in communal areas, some infection control training was incomplete, visiting checks were not robust, and policies and risk assessments were out of date or missing. Inspectors found no evidence that anyone had been harmed, but people and staff had been placed at risk.
The ratings for Safe and Well-led fell from Good to Requires Improvement. The home breached rules about safe care and treatment and good governance. The provider took some immediate action, but CQC asked for an action plan and will monitor progress and revisit.
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staffing was reviewed regularly and the team worked flexibly.
“On the days of our inspections, there were enough staff to respond to people's needs and provide support as required.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were given as prescribed by trained and assessed staff. Records, stock checks and audits showed medicines were being monitored.
“The service had systems in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Caring relationships
People told inspectors they liked living at the home. Staff were described as caring and familiar with people's needs.
“People we spoke with told us they liked living at Seaview House Nursing Home. The staff were caring and knew them well.” from the report
Person-centred support
Care plans included people's needs, choices and wishes. Inspectors found that staff worked with people to support their daily lives.
“The service provided a person-centred approach to caring for people.” from the report
COVID-19 precautions
seriousStaff wore masks for individual personal care but not in communal areas. Visiting checks and testing arrangements also did not fully follow guidance at the time.
“Staff wore facemasks when providing individual personal care. However, they did not wear face masks in communal areas.” from the report
Incomplete infection control arrangements
seriousNot all staff had completed the required infection control and PPE training. The infection control policy was out of date and instructions about using PPE were conflicting.
“Not all staff had received training in infection control and PPE.” from the report
Weak management oversight
seriousThe provider had not properly assessed risks, kept policies up to date or ensured quality systems worked effectively. One recent incident had also not been reported to CQC on time.
“The provider had failed to ensure there were effective systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to ensure staff wear the correct PPE in all required areas?
- 02Have all staff now completed infection control and COVID-19 training, and how do you check their practice?
- 03How are visitor screening, temperature checks and COVID-19 testing carried out now?
- 04What action has been completed following the breaches of Regulations 12 and 17?
- 05How do you assess risks for clinically vulnerable and higher-risk staff members?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, widened from a targeted COVID-19 concern; the other key question ratings were not inspected and previous ratings were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 May 2021 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Seaview House Nursing Home
4 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2023Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2021Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 October 2010.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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