Archived: Beechdale Manor Care Home

Updated 9 August 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 14 June 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector, a specialist advisor who was a nurse and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We checked the information we held about the service such as the completed PIR, previous inspection reports and statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events, such as such as allegations of abuse and serious injuries, which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted the local authority and the clinical commissioning group who fund the care of some people at the service and asked them for their views. We used this information to help us to plan the inspection.

During our visit we spoke with four people who lived at the service and three relatives. We also spoke with one nurse, two care workers, the activities co-ordinator, the maintenance person, cook and the manager. We looked at the care records of seven people who lived at the service, the recruitment records of three members of staff, as well as a range of records relating to the running of the service, such as audits and complaints. As part of our inspection we observed care and support in communal areas during our visit.

Updated 9 August 2017

This inspection took place on 14 June 2017. Beechdale Manor provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 65 older people, some of whom were living with dementia. There were 31 people living at the service at the time of our inspection.

At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post. The registered manager had left the service in September 2016. Interim management arrangements were in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our last comprehensive inspection in November and December 2016, we asked the provider to take action in relation to a number of breaches of regulations. During this inspection we found improvements had been made.

People received their medicines as prescribed and medicines were managed safely. People were kept safe by staff who understood their responsibility to protect people from avoidable harm and abuse. Measures to keep people safe, such as equipment and regular observation were in place and safety checks were carried out as required. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff.

People were supported by staff who had received training and were supported by the management team. People were encouraged to make choices and decisions and had their rights protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We observed that some people required further encouragement to eat but people were supported to drink enough. People were supported to maintain their health and people’s health was monitored and any changes responded to.

People were cared for by staff who were kind and treated them with dignity and respect. People and their relatives were given opportunities to be involved in reviewing the care they received and people had access to advocacy services if they required this.

People told us they received care and support at the time they required it and in line with their preferences. Staff were provided with guidance about people’s needs and preferences in care plans which had been regularly reviewed and updated when people’s needs changed. People and their relatives felt able to approach the management team with any concerns and we saw that action had been taken to address concerns which had been raised.

Systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service were not always fully effective. People and their relatives told us the management team were approachable and responsive to concerns visible and staff felt supported and motivated. People and their relatives were kept informed of changes and given opportunities to be involved in the development of the service.