Archived: Beach House

Three other people returned before we completed our visit. Two had been to day services and the other had returned from a visit to another care home owned by the same provider. However their ability to express their views was also limited.

During our visit we were fortunate to be able to observe how the staff supported and helped people living at Beach House. We saw how individuals got on with members of staff and other people living at Beach House, and how they moved around and used things in the building.

We saw a lot of talking going on between people living in the home and the staff who worked there. We saw staff explaining to and showing to people how they could do things and watching them to make sure that they did not injure themselves.

We noted staff helping and encouraging them to enjoy things such as putting things in scrap books, listening to music, watching films that they particularly enjoyed or making hot drinks and snacks or tidying up around the house.

Individuals who were able to express their views told us that they went out a lot and enjoyed doing things in the local community such as going shopping, to the pub and supporting their favourite football teams. They said that they went on holiday and that staff helped them to learn skills such as cooking. They also said that they were able to exercise choice about what they wanted to do and enjoy the things they liked. One person told us that that there was a lot of variety in the meals that they had and said 'They come around and ask us what we want for a particular meal. They allow for the fact that not everybody likes the same thing'.

Other things that people told us were good about living at Beach House were that staff were 'good and helpful' and that the accommodation was both 'nice' as well as 'clean'. People told us that they particularly liked the privacy that people were afforded by both the practice of the staff and also en-suite bathing and toilet facilities.