Beaman House

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. People were positive about the staff caring for them and told us they had built caring relationships with the staff who supported them. One person told us, “Staff are great, they are a good bunch, [and] we work as a team.” Relatives said their family members had built bonds with the staff supporting them. One relative told us, “They [staff] know [person’s name] well and are kind.” Another relative said, “[Person’s name] is happy now. It has got better with the staff they have now, and there is good banter which tells me staff know them now.” A health and social care professional told us, “The [staff] are interested in the clients and advocate on their behalf where needed. The [staff] seem to remain in their role for long periods, which is a positive. They give a positive vibe, which then encourages and reflects on others, especially those who they are caring for.” Staff took time to engage with people, chat to them and to share a joke with them. One staff member talked about the trust and relationships they had built with the people they cared for. The staff member said, “I just love it. I like to feel like I'm helping and having an affect [by] seeing the residents smile every day.” People smiled and looked content in the company of the staff caring for them. Staff told us how they promoted people's dignity. One staff member said, “Anything which is personal or private, takes place in bedrooms away from others. All bathrooms have locked doors for privacy when carrying out personal care. All residents have dressings gowns to move between the bathroom and their bedrooms.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Relatives told us staff understood what was important to their family members, such as their interests and preferences. One relative explained staff had supported their family member to spend time with a close relative to celebrate their birthdays, at a venue staff knew their family member would love to spend time at. We saw staff supported people to celebrate what mattered to them, for example, by encouraging people to do things they may enjoy and in the ways they had supported people to decorate and furnish their own rooms. One staff member said, “[Person’s name] chose to put the Easter decorations up in the lounge.” Staff explained they rechecked peoples preferences over time, so they could be sure their preferences continued to be met. One staff member explained they had noticed a person no longer enjoyed a particular activity, so they adapted how they supported the person so they could continue to do other things they enjoyed doing. Staff gave us examples showing how they adapted how they cared for individual people based on their communication preferences and health needs.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were encouraged to do things for themselves and to decide what care they wanted. Relatives were positive about their family member’s growing independence. One relative told us about the support staff had provided to increase their family member’s independence and said, “I am always well impressed, [person’s name] is always clean and tidy and seems very happy and content. They are doing so much now, I am so proud of them. I never thought they would be able to do this. They have come on leaps and bounds since they started living at Beaman House.” Staff recognised some people needed minimal support to make their own decisions about their care, whilst other people required support to choose from options. For example, where and how people wanted their personal care to be provided, or how much they wanted to be involved in their regular care planning review meetings. We saw staff took time to involve people in the day to day running of the home, such as being involved in elements of making their own drinks, and deciding where they wished to spend their time and what interesting things they wished to do.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People did not have to wait long if they wanted support from staff. Relatives were complimentary about the swiftness of staff to support their family members. For example, when they were ill. Other health and social care professionals told us people's needs we promptly met. We saw staff continually checked with people who may not be able to communicate easily, so staff could be assured people were receiving the care that they wanted, at the times they wanted, and in the ways they wanted. A health and social care professional said, “One person had a negative reaction to a medication change; the staff reacted immediately and spoke to the relevant medical professional to achieve the best outcome for the person.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt supported by senior staff and the registered manager and senior staff, who were visible in the service. One staff member said, “We see [senior staff] at least weekly, and there’s no problem with contacting on-call. You get sensible advice.” Staff said they were supported to provide good care to people because their own needs were met, shift patterns worked for them and enabled them to have a good work/life balance. Staff told us senior staff were approachable. One staff member explained the registered manager had covered their shift when they needed to provide additional care for one of their own relatives. Staff were also supported through supervision, staff meeting and information technology platforms. However, feedback from staff indicated experienced isolation on some shifts, because they were working alone. The registered manager said they would introduce further support mechanisms to address this.