Archived: The Beacon

The Beacon is a residential care home that provides accommodation, nursing and personal care to a

maximum of 16 people, including people living with dementia and people with a mental health diagnosis. At the time of our inspection there were 16 people using the service.

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

A system was in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, however this was not always effective in identifying and addressing issues.

Risks associated with people's care had not always been clearly recorded in their care plan or risk assessments with measures which were in place to reduce the risk of harm.

Medicine practices were not always in line with best practice guidelines.

The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were not always followed. People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

People's care plans did not always contain sufficient information to ensure staff were fully aware of their needs.

We have made a recommendation in relation to care planning.

People had support from safely recruited staff. Staff received training in safeguarding and understood their role and responsibilities to protect people from abuse. Staff continued to receive guidance and support from management when required.

People and staff spoke positively about the management of the service. There was a positive, caring culture within the service and we observed people were treated with dignity and respect. People were happy with the care they received, they felt safe and well looked after.

The home was clean and tidy and additional cleaning processes had been implemented to prevent the risk of spread of infection.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 16 December 2020 and this was their first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this 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.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to consent, medicine management, risk management and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will also meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.