Beeches Care Home

Updated 13 October 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.

Inspection team

Three inspectors (including a medicines inspector) and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Beeches Care Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Beeches Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 6 September 2022 and ended on 21 September 2022. We visited the service on 6 and 7 September 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 four people and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and nine medicine administration records, with accompanying documentation. We spoke with 13 members of staff, including the registered manager, nominated individual, care and domestic staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Updated 13 October 2022

About the service

Beeches Care Home is a care home providing personal care for up to 64 people aged 65 and over, some of whom were living with a dementia. The home is purpose-built and accommodation is provided across two floors. 37 people were using the service when we inspected.

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

Risk and medicines management had improved, but further and sustained improvements were needed.

Infection prevention and control systems were in place, but improvement was needed in some areas. Staff were able to spend more time interacting with people. People were safeguarded from abuse.

The support people received with eating and drinking needed ongoing improvement. Some redecoration of the service had taken place since our last inspection, but further improvement was needed.

Staff were supported with regular training, supervision and appraisal. 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.

Governance systems had not always lead to improvements at the service. Feedback was sought, but improvements were still needed on how it was acted on. We received positive feedback on the leadership of the registered manager. Staff worked effectively with a wide range of external professionals.

We received mixed feedback on whether people’s and relatives’ views were sought and acted on. People said they were happy at the service and spoke positively about the staff. We observed kind and caring support being delivered.

Care plans had been improved to make them more personalised and reflective of people’s needs and preferences. Activities were taking place, and we received positive feedback about these. The provider had systems in place to investigate and respond to complaints.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 28 April 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider review staffing levels at the service. At this inspection we found that the provider had acted on this recommendation and improvements had been made to staffing.

The last rating for this service was requires improvement. The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Recommendations

We have made recommendations about medicines management and involving people in decisions about their care.

Follow up

We will 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 with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.