Beechlands

Updated 17 February 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 22 January 2021 and was announced.

Updated 17 February 2021

About the service:

Beechlands is a care home in Loughton which provides accommodation with personal care for up to 28 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. There were 21 people living at the service on the day of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service had improved since our last inspection and people received good quality care at Beechlands. We found the provider had addressed the concerns we had raised at our last visit. There were improved systems for the safe administration of medicines. The registered manager had learnt from the experience and was aware of the need to act promptly when things went wrong.

Senior staff and provider representatives carried out checks on the quality of the service. These systems had improved since our last inspection.

We received positive feedback from people, families and staff about the service, especially about the family atmosphere.

There was an established management team and long-standing staff who knew people well. The registered manager was a strong leader who was responsive to people’s needs. They promoted an open culture where people and staff felt able to have a say in the service, speaking out when they had concerns. The registered manager developed positive links with external agencies and used feedback to learn from mistakes.

Risk was well managed at the service. Measures were put in place to keep people safe, however people were still able to enjoy life and have fun. There were enough safely recruited staff to meet people’s needs. Staff knew what to do if they had concerns for a person’s safety.

Staff had the necessary skills to meet peoples’ needs. Training and checks of staff competency had improved, particularly around the administration of medicine.

Staff worked well along with external professionals to maintain people’s physical and emotional wellbeing. People ate and drunk in line with their preferences and dietary needs, and there was a focus on making meal times an enjoyable event.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Senior staff carried out assessments of need prior to people coming to live at the service. Care plans were developed which provided staff with information on people’s needs and any risks. The quality of these care plans did not fully reflect the good care we found at the service, however, despite this we found staff knew people’s needs well. The provider told us they were introducing new systems to address the quality of the care plans.

Care was person centred and flexible. Care was reviewed and adjusted when changes happened. People were supported to take part in pastimes and interests. Senior staff and care staff treated people with respect and supported them to remain independent.

The registered manager and staff worked well with professionals and families to ensure people receiving end of life care could choose to remain at the service when their needs increased.

More information is in the detailed findings below.

Rating at last inspection:

Requires improvement. The last report was published on 29 September 2017.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor Beechlands to ensure people receive care which meets their needs. We plan our inspections based on existing ratings and on any new information which we receive about each service.

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