Archived: Signature at Beckenham

Updated 27 July 2022

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

Two inspector’s and a specialist nurse advisor visited the service on the 12 July 2022. One inspector returned to the service on 14 July 2022 to complete the inspection.

Service and service type

Signature at Beckenham 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. Signature at Beckenham is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service is dual registered and both providers are responsible for service delivery at the location. The providers are WR Signature Operations Limited and Signature Senior Lifestyle Operations Ltd.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five care staff, three nurses, the chef, the maintenance man, the registered manager and the regional operations manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included nine people’s care records and medication records. We looked at eight staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision. We looked at variety of records relating to the management of the service including the providers quality monitoring systems, internal audits and policies and procedures. We also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 27 July 2022

About the service

Signature at Beckenham is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 100 people. The home consists of a variety of studio and one-bedroom apartments, all of which have ensuite facilities. Accommodation is provided over three floors and includes two units which specialise in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 40 people using the service.

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

There were safeguarding procedures in place and staff and managers had a clear understanding of these procedures. Risks to people were assessed and staff were aware of the action to take to minimise risks where they had been identified. People told us they felt safe. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. People’s medicines were managed safely. There were procedures in place to reduce the risk of infections and COVID 19.

Assessments of people’s needs were carried out when they started using the service. Staff received training and support relevant to people’s needs. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. People had access to a range of healthcare services when needed. 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.

People told us staff were caring and responsive to their needs. They had care plans that described their health care and support needs and included guidelines for staff on how to best support them. People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service. There were procedures in place to make sure people had access to end of life care and support if it was required.

There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of service that people received. The provider took people’s views into account through satisfaction surveys, residents meeting, food and activities forums and feedback from these was used to improve the service. Staff said they received good support from unit managers and the registered manager. The registered manager and staff worked with health and social care providers to drive improvement and to deliver an effective service.

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 is dual registered. It was registered with us on 13 January 2022 and 12 May 2022 and this is the first inspection. See the background section of this report for more information on dual registered services.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection of a newly registered 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.