CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Seymour House-Northwood
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, October 2021
Rated Good overall, but inspectors found the home was not always well-led and its quality checks needed improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 6 July 2021. It was first targeted at specific safety and management concerns, then widened to a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led. One inspector visited, spoke with managers, relatives and a health professional, and checked care, medicines and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, suitable infection control and systems for medicines and risks. However, some records were not up to date, including one controlled medicines register and records showing whether repositioning support had been provided.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. The provider's checks had not always found or fixed problems quickly enough. The report records the overall rating as Good, but also says the overall rating changed from Good to Requires Improvement. The other three areas were not inspected at this visit and carried forward their previous ratings.
People felt safe
Relatives said they felt their family members were safe. Staff were seen providing timely support.
“Relatives told us they felt their family members were safe.” from the report
Staffing
Inspectors found staffing levels were sufficient and saw people receiving timely care. Relatives and professionals also said there were enough staff.
“I think there are always enough staff around.” from the report
Infection control
The home had testing, cleaning, protective equipment and infection control arrangements in place. The kitchen had also received the highest food hygiene rating.
“The home appeared clean and free of offensive odours.” from the report
Caring activities
Relatives and professionals described staff as caring and attentive. Inspectors saw people taking part in singing, birthday celebrations and other activities.
“They've managed to engage with the residents [and] keep them occupied,” from the report
Quality checks did not always work
needs fixingThe provider's audits had not always identified problems or led to timely action. Some issues were only addressed after inspectors raised them.
“This system had not always been effective as it had not enabled them to take timely action to address some of the issues we identified.” from the report
Care records were incomplete
needs fixingRecords did not show whether one person had received planned repositioning support, or whether staff had assessed that it was not needed. Inspectors found no evidence of harm, but the provider could not be fully assured that care had been recorded consistently.
“Daily care records for the week prior to our visit did not record if either this support was provided or if staff had assessed that it was not required.” from the report
Some medicines records were out of date
needs fixingThe controlled medicines register for one person was not up to date. Other records and checks gave assurance that the medicine had been given as prescribed.
“The register recording the handling of a controlled drug for one person was not up to date in the days prior to our visit.” from the report
Outdated safeguarding policy
minorThe safeguarding adults policy was not in line with legal requirements when inspectors visited. The manager updated it promptly after this was raised.
“The provider's safeguarding adults policy that supported these systems was out of date and not in line with the requirements of the Care Act 2014.” from the report
- 01What action has been taken to make sure repositioning support is recorded every time, including when staff decide it is not needed?
- 02How do you now check that controlled medicines records are complete and up to date?
- 03What changes have been made to the quality monitoring system since inspectors found it had not identified problems quickly enough?
- 04What improvements were included in the service improvement plan provided after the inspection?
- 05What are the current ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive, which were not inspected during this visit?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led after targeted concerns; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 October 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.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with minor improvements needed in equality training and quality monitoring.
This was an unannounced targeted inspection on 22 and 25 January 2021. It followed concerns about infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic. Inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from this concern.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Staff supported people with their medicines, health, nutrition, communication, activities and end-of-life wishes. Relatives spoke positively about the care and felt involved.
Inspectors found enough staff and suitable infection control arrangements. They also found that some provider monitoring records repeated the same information and that equality training did not cover inclusion for LGBT+ people. These points were discussed with the home for improvement.
The overall Good rating was unchanged from the previous inspection, published on 9 January 2019.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors observed caring and attentive support. Relatives said people were treated well and supported patiently.
“We saw staff supporting people in a caring and attentive manner.” from the report
Infection control
The home provided personal protective equipment, regular testing and cleaning. Inspectors saw staff using protective equipment safely.
“We saw staff using PPE safely during our visit.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's preferences, life histories, communication needs and choices. Staff responded to people's individual requests.
“People's care plans provided personalised information about them and their preferences for their care” from the report
Health and nutrition
Staff worked with health professionals and monitored people's health, food and fluid intake. Meals used fresh ingredients and offered choices.
“We saw staff support people to eat and drink throughout the day.” from the report
Family involvement
Relatives were included in care decisions and kept informed. The home arranged different ways to maintain contact during the pandemic.
“Relatives confirmed to us they felt informed about and involved in the service.” from the report
Limited quality monitoring records
needs fixingRecords of the provider's monitoring visits over the previous six months often repeated the same information and feedback. Inspectors said this gave only limited assurance about effective oversight.
“These records provided only limited assurance that the visits demonstrated clear and effective governance arrangements” from the report
Equality training gap
minorStaff had equality and diversity training, but it did not include promoting inclusion for LGBT+ people. Inspectors discussed arranging this with the registered manager.
“Staff had received training in promoting equality and diversity with people, but this did not include promoting inclusion for LGBT+ people.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to the provider's quality monitoring records since this inspection?
- 02What equality and inclusion training do staff now receive, including training about LGBT+ people?
- 03How do you keep families informed about changes in a resident's health or care?
- 04How are activities and family visits adapted when infection control restrictions apply?
- 05How do you check that care plans still reflect each resident's preferences, communication needs and end-of-life wishes?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection focused on following up infection prevention and control concerns, although inspectors also reviewed all five rating areas. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 March 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 Seymour House-Northwood
5 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- October 2021Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2021Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2018Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 September 2016.
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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