Archived: Beech Tree Total Care

Updated 11 July 2018

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.

Inspection site visit activity started on 13 June 2018 and ended on 14 June 2018. It included visits to five people in their own homes. We spoke with an additional 14 people and two relatives via telephone. We visited the office location on 13 June 2018 to see the registered and branch manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

We gave the service 48 hours notice of the inspection site visit because it was domiciliary care agency and we wanted to ensure that someone would be available at the office to assist with the inspection.

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors 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.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at any notifications received by the Care Quality Commission. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

We spoke with the registered manager, the branch manager, the training manager, an assessor and five care staff. We looked at ten people’s care plans and the associated risk assessments and guidance. We looked at a range of other records including five staff recruitment files, the staff induction records, training and supervision schedules, staff rotas and quality assurance surveys and audits.

Updated 11 July 2018

This inspection took place on 13 and 14 June 2018 and was announced. It was the first inspection of this service under their new provider registration.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults and people living with physical disabilities. Some people were living with dementia.

Not everyone using Beech Tree Total Care receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

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.

Risks relating to people’s care and support had been assessed and mitigated where possible. People were protected from the spread of infection, and staff had access to protective equipment such as gloves and aprons. When accidents or incidents occurred these were recorded, collated and analysed to look for trends and patterns and ways of reducing the chances of them occurring again. Staff knew how to recognise and respond to abuse, and the registered manager had reported any safeguarding concerns to the local authority.

The registered manager monitored staffing levels to ensure there were enough staff to provide people the necessary support. People told us that staff were usually on time, and stayed the entire duration of their call. Staff were recruited safely.

Staff received the training they needed to provide effective support. The training manager had been nominated for a national award, in recognition for their work. The service regularly supported people at the end of their lives, and staff had received specialist training to enable them to do so.

Senior staff completed regular spot checks on staff, to ensure they were carrying out their roles competently and staff had regular opportunities to reflect on their practice.

People received support to eat and drink safely. When we visited people in their homes staff had left out a selection of hot and cold drinks for people to enjoy throughout the day. Staff sought advice from a range of healthcare professionals when people’s needs changed, and contacted people’s doctors if they became unwell. Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to lead healthier lives.

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. People were supported to be as independent as possible. Staff had an understanding of people’s equality and diversity needs and told us they would challenge discrimination in any form.

People and their relatives told us that staff were kind and caring. Staff had regular people they visited, and people told us they had built up strong relationships with the staff that supported them. Staff treated people with respect and dignity.

People had been involved in planning their care; they told us about when staff had visited them for their initial assessment and at regular review meetings. A range of recognised tools, such as Waterlow scores, to assess the risk of people’s skin breaking down, had been used as part of the assessment process.

Staff, people and their relatives all told us that the service was well-led. The registered manager was skilled and experienced in providing domiciliary care. Their work has been recognised formally at ‘The Great British Care Awards.’ There was an open culture and staff told us they were well supported by the management team. The registered manager and senior staff worked in partnership with a range of organisations to share best practice and drive improvements within the sector.

Senior staff completed a range of checks and audits to ensure the service was compliant with the fundamental standards and regulations. The registered manager had notified us of any important events that had happened within the service. People were provided with information regarding how to complain and regular feedback was sought from people, their relatives and staff. This was analysed and used to make improvements within the service.