George Beal House

Updated 9 December 2020

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 the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

This inspection took place on 16 November and was announced.

Updated 9 December 2020

We undertook an unannounced inspection of George Beal House on the 28 September 2017.

The service provides short breaks and respite care for up to 12 people who have some form of a physical disability or a learning disability. On the day of our inspection, there were eight people who were using the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good overall.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff had supervision, support and effective training that enabled them to support people well. However, they did not always feel supported by the management team.

The provider had effective recruitment processes in place and there was sufficient staff to support people safely. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

There were risk assessments in place that gave guidance to staff on how risks to people could be minimised and how to safeguard people from the risk of possible harm.

The provider had effective recruitment processes in place and there were sufficient staff to support people safely. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and would seek people’s consent before they provided any care or support.

People were supported by caring and respectful staff who knew them well. Relatives we spoke with had described the staff as kind and caring. People were supported to go into the community and pursue their interests.

People had been assessed, and care plans took account of their individual needs, preferences, and choices. Staff supported people to access health and social care services when required.

The provider had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. They encouraged feedback from people and acted on the comments received to continually improve the quality of the service. The provider also had effective quality monitoring processes in place to ensure that they were providing a quality service for people.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.