The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Affinity Trust - 4 Beech Close

Beech Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3SD (01582) 690198

Provided and run by:
Affinity Trust

All Inspections

26 February 2014

During a routine inspection

During our last scheduled inspection of 4 Beech Close, we identified non-compliance regarding the delivery of people's care, in such a way as to meet their individual needs and ensure their welfare. We found that the provider could not fully evidence the service had a robust process for monitoring the content of the first aid boxes, which meant that there was a risk that items beyond expiry dates would not be detected. We also found that people's bedrooms appeared sterile and unpersonalised, with a lack of homely objects. We therefore imposed compliance actions and told the provider they needed to make improvements in this area. On 26 February 2014, we reviewed the action the provider had taken on the non-compliance to ensure this had been addressed effectively.

We found improvements had been made to address past issues with people's care and welfare, in relation to the home environment and people's individual bedrooms. We noted that people's bedrooms were now personalised and decorated with items of interest to them. We also found that the manager had implemented a regular system of monitoring for first aid boxes.

We saw that the service was clean and tidy and that some areas of flooring had been replaced, so they could be kept clean. We found that a regular audit tool was being used to ensure that infection control was monitored.

The provider had ensured that the complaints policy was accessible, in an appropriate format for all people to use if appropriate.

20 August 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection of Affinity Trust 4 Beech Close on 20 August 2013, we used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service. This was because the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not able to talk with us about their experiences. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who could not talk with us.

We saw people who use the service were engaged in activities they liked and enjoyed and assisted by friendly and respectful staff. People looked clean and tidy. We found well documented support plans of how the service would meet each person's needs. We found the staff team to be competent and knowledgeable about the people they provided care for. Staff were supported with regular training, supervision and appraisal. However, care was not always delivered appropriately, in such a way as to meet people's individual needs.

We found that arrangements were in place to deal with foreseeable emergencies. We saw that some areas of the premises were clean. However, some areas of the premises were not being cleaned properly. We found that some processes designed to prevent and control the risk of infection were lacking.

We found the service had a complaints system in place. However, the complaints system was not brought to people's attention in a suitable manner.

7 January 2013

During a routine inspection

When we visited the Affinity Trust - 4 Beech Close on 7 January 2013, we found that people were satisfied with the care and support they received. We observed that people were offered support at a level which encouraged independence and assured their individual needs were met. The staff were friendly and courteous in their approach to people and interacted confidently with them. We noted that people were encouraged to express their views about the quality of care in the home. They were also involved in planning their care, making decisions about their support and treatment, and how they spent their time.

Due to the varying levels of communication that the two people currently using the service had, it was difficult to discuss their care with them in any depth. However, within the care files we saw that people and or their families had been involved with, and agreed with the particular care needs that had been identified for them.