Archived: Beechlawns

At the time of our inspection seven people lived at Beechlawns Care Home. During our inspection we spoke with or spent some time with all of the people who lived there, all of the staff on duty and the registered manager.

As some people had complex needs and were not all able to tell us about the service they received we used different methods to help us understand their experiences, including observation. We observed good interactions between staff and the people that lived there. We saw that people smiled and looked happy when they interacted with staff. People who were able to tell us their experiences made positive comments about the way they were cared for and where they lived. One person said, 'I like it here'. Another person said, 'It is good here'.

We found that people who lived there were treated with respect and dignity. We saw that people's needs had been assessed by a range of health care professionals including specialist doctors and the optician. This meant that staff had enabled people to have their health care and safety needs monitored and met. One person who lived there said, 'I go and see the doctor if I am not well. Sometimes the doctor comes here to see me'.

People had been provided with varied food and drink options to prevent malnutrition and dehydration. One person said, 'I like the food here. It is nice'.

We found that overall the premises were warm, homely, adequately maintained and reasonably safe.

We determined that generally staffing levels were adequate and that staff support systems were in place to ensure that people's needs were met and that they were safe.

We saw that complaints processes were in place for people or their relatives to use if they were not happy with the service provided.

Some of the people who lived in this service were unable to talk with us. Because of this we looked at records, talked with staff and observed the way that the care was provided.

However, some people were able us that they were well looked after. They said that the staff always asked them how they would like things to be done, always respected their privacy and treated them with respect.

Many people were able to make it clear to us that they liked living at Beechlawns. Some said such things as 'I like it' and 'It's nice'.

People told us that they felt able to raise any issues with the managers or staff should they have any concerns. Staff talked of their awareness of how to keep people safe from harm. They told us about the training that the home had arranged for them to attend so that they would recognise abuse and how to report it.

We saw that staff were always available when people needed help. People told us that staff were friendly and always acted professionally.

The service's management held regular meetings with the people who live in the home to find out what they thought about how their care was delivered.