• Care Home
  • Care home

Beau Sejour Care Services Also known as Beau Sejour Residential Care Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

12-14 Castle Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5DL (01727) 859948

Provided and run by:
Beau Sejour Residential Care Home Limited

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Beau Sejour Care Services on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about Beau Sejour Care Services, you can give feedback on this service.

9 December 2020

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Beau Sejour Care Services is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to ten people living with learning disabilities and, or physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection the care home accommodated nine people in one adapted building.

We found the following examples of good practice.

¿ Staff had access to all necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and had received training in correct donning and doffing procedures. Staff were seen to be maintaining social distancing appropriately and changes had been made to the layout of the home, where necessary.

¿ People’s wellbeing had been prioritised. Staff contacted the day centre attended by the people supported and replicated their daily routines as far as possible. Virtual sessions were arranged with a local music therapist and activity packs supplied by a local church. Staff have stayed in regular contact with people's loved ones and made sure that key events such as birthdays, Easter and Christmas are still celebrated. The service were taking lots of photos and sharing these with friends and family.

¿ One person displayed symptoms earlier in the pandemic and staff supported this person to self-isolate. Following the end of the isolation period, all the staff were encouraged, by the management team, to contribute to a de-brief and reflection session. This allowed everyone to consider what went well and what would make things easier in the event of a future outbreak.

¿ Following the recent outbreak, some staff were still experiencing the longer-term health impact of COVID-19. As a result, the management team had made changes to the rota's, so staff were no longer working long days. Regular breaks were offered, and staff encouraged to say if they were feeling tired.

¿ It was identified, following the outbreak, people had lost weight. Dietary input had been sought immediately from professionals and measures put in place to ensure good levels of nutrition and hydration.

¿ During the recent outbreak, the people supported were relocated to local COVID-19 designated setting. This was due to the staff team being required to self-isolate. Despite this, staff worked remotely to support the staff at the designated setting, to ensure people received care in line with their needs.

27 November 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service

Beau Sejour is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 10 people living with learning disabilities and, or physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection the care home accommodated 10 people in one adapted building.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to ten people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

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

The staff were extremely responsive to people’s needs and demonstrated a person-centred approach. People were supported to do the things they wanted to do and enjoy both in the community and in their home. It was integral to the provider’s ethos that Beau Sejour was people’s home for life. The management team demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of supporting people’s emotional and spiritual wellbeing. An external professional praised the end of life care provided.

People continued to receive care that was safe. There were enough staff deployed to meet people's needs and to spend time with them doing the things they wanted to do. Risk assessments helped ensure people received care and support safely with minimum risk to themselves or others. People received their medicines safely.

Staff were skilled and knowledgeable and received the management support required to effectively support people. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff. External health and social care professionals gave positive feedback about care and support provided for people. Because staff knew people extremely well they promptly recognised when they were unhappy or unwell.

Staff were caring and provided people with care that promoted their rights to live an ordinary life. People were supported to have 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.

The service was very well managed and put people at the heart of all that they did. The provider had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the running of the home and the quality of the care being delivered. There was an open and transparent culture within the service. It was evident they strived to provide the best experience for people and were creative and innovative in looking at the facilities and activities that people were taking part in.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 01 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

25 April 2017

During a routine inspection

This inspection was carried out on 25 April 2017 and was unannounced. At their last inspection on 14 January 2015, they were found to be meeting the standards we inspected. At this inspection we found that they continued to meet all the required standards.

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Beau Sejour care home provides accommodation and personal care for up to ten people with learning disabilities, and or physical disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were ten people residing at the home.

The service had a manager who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were protected from harm and staff were able to demonstrate they were aware of the risks of abuse and how to report or elevate concerns. We found that there was a robust recruitment process in place. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s individual care and support needs at all times. There were suitable arrangements in place for the safe storage and administration of medicines.

People were asked for their consent and staff were aware of MCA principles and where people lacked capacity to make decisions, consent had been obtained in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.

People were supported to maintain their health and well-being and had access to a range of healthcare professionals such as GP’s, district nurses, and dentists. People were also supported to attend hospital appointments when required. People were given choices of what food and drinks they wanted and were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet.

The environment was 'homely' and we observed that staff treated people kindly and in a way which respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff demonstrated that they knew people well and met their needs in a personalised way. Relatives were extremely complimentary about the care and support provided.

People were encouraged and supported to participate in a wide range of meaningful and suitable activities which took into account peoples individual abilities and interests. People also attended a range of community based events. Staff and relatives of people who used the service told us they were always consulted and involved in developing all aspects of the service, as well as how the home was run. Relatives told us they felt 'listened to' by the management team. People were central to everything that was in place and the home and the management team valued peoples input and was very focused on putting people first. There were systems and processes in place to monitor the overall quality of the service.

The management team were open and transparent about all aspects of the service and demonstrated a clear vision for the service and people who used the service. Staff felt valued and motivated. People were empowered to make decisions about their lives and staff supported them to challenge themselves, by not letting their disabilities prevent them from living full and active lives.

14 January 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 14 January 2015 by one inspector and was unannounced. The service had met the required standards at their last inspection on 18 October 2013.

Beau Sejour care home provides accommodation and personal care for up to ten people with learning disabilities who may also have physical disabilities or a sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection ten people lived at the home. There was a registered manager in post. 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.

People were protected from abuse and felt safe at the home. Staff were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and how to report concerns. There were sufficient staff members available to meet people’s individual care and support needs. We found that safe and effective recruitment practices were followed and that people’s views were central to the selection of new staff members.

There were suitable arrangements for the safe storage, management and disposal of medicines. We found that, where people lacked capacity to make their own decisions, consent had been obtained in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.

The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves or others. At the time of our inspection applications had been made to the local authority in relation to people who lived at Beau Sejour.

People had access to healthcare professionals such as GP’s and mental health specialists when needed. A range of health professionals gave us positive feedback about the care and support provided for people. We found that people received appropriate levels of support to maintain a healthy balanced diet and were supported by a staff team who had the necessary skills to provide safe and effective care. People were happy in their home and that staff treated them with warmth, dignity and respect. Relatives were also positive about the care and support provided. We saw that staff knew people well and met their needs in an individual and caring way.

People’s needs were met and they were supported to take part in a wide range of meaningful activities catered to their individual needs and wishes, both at the home and in the local community. People who lived at the home and staff had been actively involved in developing all aspects of the service and how the home was run. Relatives confirmed to us that they, and the people who used the service, were encouraged and supported to have their say and were positive about the leadership provided by the manager. We saw that a system of audits, surveys and reviews were used to good effect in monitoring performance and managing risks.

The manager and provider demonstrated a clear vision and operated a set of values based on person centred care, independence and empowerment. These were central to the care provided and were clearly understood and put into practice by staff for the benefit of everyone who used the service.

18 October 2013

During a routine inspection

We found that people who lived at Beau Sejour were well cared for and appeared happy and contented in their home environment. We also observed people getting ready to go by minibus to their daily activities. Other people were being supported to go off and do other planned activities, including a trip to London. Some people who lived at Beau Sejour did not have verbal communication, and we were unable to speak to people during our visit.

We observed that people were given packed lunches to take with them and communication books that were used as a means to facilitate effective communication with the staff at the day centre.

We noted that people had 'personalised bedrooms' and staff that we spoke to knew people's likes and dislikes and were able to talk in detail about how they were supported.

People were involved in menu planning and individual nutritional requirements were taken into account.

People's consent had been obtained for all aspects of the care and support people received. The home was kept in a good state of repair. People's opinions and views were sought and considered as part of the quality monitoring process.

25 July 2012

During a routine inspection

During our visit we saw all 10 people who live at the service and spoke with three of them. They told us that generally they were happy in the home. One person who felt able came to us to talk about the home, in their words, 'For others. Some people here do not talk'. The person explained their admission process and stated that they chose this home because, 'I knew almost all the people who live here. We met at a day centre many years ago.'

The other two people told us that they were listened to and could make their own decisions. We observed breakfast and saw how people indicated or chose what they liked to eat from the table. We observed how five people helped willingly by taking plates from the dining room to the kitchen.

We also observed people getting ready to go by minibus to their daily activities. They carried their packed lunches with them and communication books that were used by the staff from the home to communicate with the staff at the day centre. One person without verbal abilities indicated to the staff that they wanted them to read them their notes from the communication book and a staff member did so.

A person who insisted on speaking with us stated that they felt safe and protected. We saw this person talking to their mum on the phone, free and without hesitation, explaining their plan for the day and praising the breakfast that they had just eaten.

One person indicated to the staff that they felt hot and a staff member took them to the room where air-conditioning was used to maintain a pleasant temperature.

Everything people said to us and which we observed demonstrated that people had choice, could communicate effectively with staff despite the lack of verbal communication abilities, that staff listened to them and fully respected them.