Beechwood

Updated 10 January 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

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and a medicines inspector who supported the inspection remotely.

Service and service type

Beechwood 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. Beechwood 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 27 October 2022 and ended on 8 November 2022. We visited the location on 27 October 2022 and 3 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We received feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We communicated with 2 people who used the service and observed their responses. We spoke with 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, team leader and carers. We observed interactions between staff and people who used the service. We sought feedback from 4 healthcare professionals and the local authority safeguarding team. We reviewed 5 people's care records, 5 people's medication administration records (MARs) and 4 staff files. We reviewed documentation relating to the management of the service. The inspection included an evening visit in order to speak with night-time staff.

Updated 10 January 2023

About the service

Beechwood is a residential care home providing accommodation to up to 5 people requiring personal care. The service provides support to people with a learning disability, sensory impairments and/or autistic people across one residential property. At the time of our inspection, there were 5 people using the service.

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.

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

Right Support:

Staff supported people to live as independently as possible and have a level of autonomy over their lives. People were provided with a choice in their day-to-day decision-making and families were involved in people’s care. People's risks in relation to their care were managed and staff understood how to maintain and encourage people's independence. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. We were assured that the service were generally following good infection prevention and control procedures to keep people safe. Healthcare professionals told us that staff worked well with them to achieve positive outcomes for people.

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.

Right Care:

Relatives told us they felt people were supported by staff in a kind, caring and dignified way and we observed this to be the case. People's differences were respected by staff and they had undertaken relevant training to effectively support people. This included training for learning disabilities and autism awareness for permanently employed staff. Relatives told us that staff knew their loved ones’ needs and preferences well. People's right to privacy was respected and staff encouraged people to provide feedback about the care provided in a format they could understand. Care plans were personalised and included information on people's healthcare needs, communication needs, preferences and social history. Care plans included steps to take to ensure people had regular access to a dentist and were following good oral care guidelines. People were supported to enjoy the diet of their choice and staff encouraged them to have a nutritionally balanced diet. People had individual goals and objectives which were regularly reviewed by staff. The service was situated within a larger complex with access to a day centre and other similar services. People were able to access the local community and were supported by staff to do so.

Right Culture:

The culture of the service was open, inclusive and empowered people to live as independently as possible. Relatives were complimentary about the service and felt their ideas and concerns would be listened to by the registered manager and staff. Management had undertaken audits to look at ways of improving the service although these were not always effective in identifying issues. Where we highlighted shortfalls, the registered manager took immediate action and implemented processes to ensure this would not happen again. Staff were complimentary about the registered manager and told us they were able to raise concerns.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 26 April 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the culture in the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We did not find evidence of the concerns we received in relation to the culture in the service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home 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.

Follow up

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