Beechwood

Updated 7 December 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector

Service and service type

Beechwood is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection took place, we reviewed the information we had about the service. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information the service is required to send us by law. We also contacted the local authority and Healthwatch to gain their views. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We assessed the information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During our inspection, we spoke with four people who lived at the service, two staff members, the registered manager and the assistant director. To help us assess how people's care needs were being met we reviewed three people's care records and other information, for example their risk assessments. We also looked at the medicine records, three staff recruitment files and a range of records relating to the running of the service. We carried out general observations of care and support and looked at the interactions between staff and people who used the service.

After our inspection visit, we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We also spoke with two relatives.

Updated 7 December 2019

About the service:

We conducted an unannounced inspection at Beechwood House on 17 October 2019. Beechwood House provides personal care and accommodation for up to eight people living with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were eight people living at the service. It is one of a number of homes run by the charity Autism East Midlands. The service is a predominantly a large house situated on a quiet street. There is one bedroom with en-suite bathroom and the rest of the rooms share bathing facilities.

People’s experience of using this service:

People felt safe living at the service. Through staff training and initiatives by the organisation, safeguarding was a high priority and staff had received training. People using the service also had information on staying safe and were encouraged to attend training when they were interested in doing so.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who were competent, skilled and knew people well. Staff levels were monitored and increased to support people with appointments and activities when required. Safe staff recruitment checks were completed when staff commenced their employment.

The management, administration and storage of medicines was managed well, and people were receiving their prescribed medicines. Medication audits took place when each medication round had been completed. This picked up on any errors immediately so that they could be rectified without compromising someone’s medication.

Best practice guidance in relation to infection prevention and control was followed and health and safety checks were completed on the environment and equipment.

Staff received comprehensive training and support in their role. This included specialist training specific to the needs of the people using the service. They were also actively looking for additional training which they felt would be beneficial to support people more effectively.

People received opportunities in developing the menu and their nutritional and hydration needs were met and independence was promoted. People were supported with their health care needs and accessed external healthcare professionals and services. Information was shared with external healthcare agencies to support people to receive consistent care.

People were supported to have maximum 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.

People's care and support had been planned in partnership with them. People and their relatives were consulted and listened to about how their care would be delivered.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected, and their independence actively promoted.

People were supported with opportunities to pursue social activities, interests and hobbies. People were supported to identify and achieve personal goals. End of life wishes was being arranged with contributions from close relatives.

Staff had access to policies and procedures that reflected legislation and current best practice. The management team were enthusiastic and had a positive approach to developing the service and looked towards continued improvement.

Quality monitoring and audits were robust and monitored every aspect of the service. These were carried out by the registered manager and senior management. This ensured that if an area of the service required attention, this was done immediately as through the auditing, every aspect of the service was continually under scrutiny.

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.

Rating at last:

At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 8 February 2017)

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

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating of the last inspection.

Follow up:

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