Sewells

Updated 17 March 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

Sewells is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Sewells is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 2 relatives about their experience of the care provided. As well as speaking with people we observed staff interactions and people's body language whilst in their home. We spoke with 6 staff which included the regional manager, the manager and support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care records and medication records. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including the provider’s governance systems, were reviewed.

Updated 17 March 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Sewells is a residential care home providing personal care to 3 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 7 people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right 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 supported people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. People were supported safely with medicines. The staff team was appropriately trained to meet people’s needs.

People were safeguarded from abuse and staff were knowledgeable about how to support people safely. Accidents and incidents were recorded and shared with staff to promote learning.

People were supported to pursue their long-term aspirations and we observed meaningful interaction with people.

Staff had the skills and training to recognise and support a person when they were feeling overwhelmed or distressed.

Right Care:

People were supported by caring and kind staff. Staff knew people very well and knew their likes and dislikes. Positive relationships were noted between staff and people. People said staff were kind to them and we observed staff interact with people kindly,

The provider and manager had worked to change the culture at the home to one of empowerment for people where staff truly promoted people’s individuality, protected their rights and enabled them to develop and flourish.

Staff had received some sector specific training to enable them to meet the needs of people and to keep them safe from the risk of harm.

People’s care and support plans reflected their range of support needs.

Right Culture:

Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.

People had assessments in place to identify risks they faced and to guide staff to manage these. Staff were knowledgeable about the content of these risk assessments and the actions they needed to take.

People were supported by staff who had received training and competency assessments to meet their support needs. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to supporting people with a learning disability.

Relatives, people and staff spoke highly of the manager and said how the culture has changed in response to the support and guidance they have provided.

The providers quality assurance system helped to ensure people lived in a service with the right culture and approach to help them live their lives without discrimination or judgement.

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 was Inadequate published on 27 October 2022 and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 27 October 2022. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 30 August 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment, staff training and support, personalised care and governance systems.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Inadequate to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sewells on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.