Archived: Beck Farm House

We spoke with two people who were positive about the care and support they received. They told us they were well cared for and were encouraged to be as independent as possible. One of the people we spoke with said, 'I like living here. Today I am going on a picnic.' Another person said, 'I am going to Scotland to see my family and the staff are coming with me.'

We found that people who used the service were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink. One resident we spoke with said, 'I enjoy my breakfast. My favourite food is weetabix, marmite and bread.' Another person told us, 'We get lots of choices with food here.'

We spoke to two members of staff who were able to demonstrate knowledge and awareness for infection prevention and control. We saw records that showed staff had recently been on a training course for this.

The manager told us the home was undergoing a major refurbishment. We found new tables and chairs had been purchased for one of the large dining rooms and that some rooms had already been decorated. The manager said, 'This work is ongoing, we are replacing old windows with new and we are also carrying out external as well as internal painting.'

People were given support by the provider to make a comment or complaint where they needed assistance. People we spoke with confirmed they could raise any concerns with staff and these would be acted on. One person said, "The door is always open and I can see the manager at anytime if there is something wrong or I am not happy."

One person told us about the weekly meeting to decide menus, leisure activities and allocation of tasks which promoted independent living skills: 'We have meetings to talk about the house and what we all want.' 'I also have meeting with my key worker about all sorts of things and what I want.' 'We have a PCP meeting too and reviews of my care plan.'

People spoke positively about the staff that worked with them. They said: "Staff are very helpful, understanding and friendly.' and "The staff are very nice to me and I have not a bad word to say about them." One person told us' The staff listen to me and seem to know when something is bothering me. They talk to me and try to find out what it is and help me.'

We saw staff records that confirmed they were also provided with opportunity to undertake further professional development in the form of recognised qualifications appropriate to their role, for example National Vocational Qualifications in caring.

We saw a number of quality checks that had been put in place. These included regular audits of physical intervention and incidents of behaviour that may challenge the service.