Background to this inspection
Updated
18 October 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 team consisted of two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who has used this type of service.
Service and service type
Bethel House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
Our planning considered information we held about the service. This included information about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse allegations. We looked at records of complaints and how the service responded to them. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
During the inspection
We reviewed records relevant to the running and quality monitoring of the service, the recruitment records for seven new staff employed in the last year and new policies and procedures. We looked at training and supervision records. We looked at eight people's care records in detail and multiple records of medication administration, medicines storage and management. We also checked the building to ensure it was clean, hygienic and a safe place for people to live.
We spoke with ten people who lived at Bethel House, six visiting relatives, seven members of nursing and care staff and three visiting health care professionals for feedback on their experiences of the service. We spoke with the registered manager, who was present throughout the inspection, the deputy manager and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. This included training data and staffing rotas. This was received and the information was used as part of our inspection.
We obtained further feedback from two relatives who were not at the home during the inspection. They contacted us by email after the visit to give us their positive experiences of the service.
Updated
18 October 2019
About the service
Bethel House is a residential care home on the outskirts of Whitehaven. It is an older property that has been extensively adapted to provide accommodation for up to 62 people with dementia or other mental health needs. One part of the building provides nursing care for up to 31 people and the other residential care for up to 31 people. All rooms are single occupancy and there are suitable shared facilities and secure garden. At the time of the inspection there were 60 people living there.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe living at Bethel House and relatives expressed confidence in the staff and management to keep their relatives safe and happy. Staff were kind and caring towards people and had developed mutually respectful relationships with them, knowing their histories, likes and dislikes. We observed the daily routines and practices within the home and found people were treated equally and their human rights were being promoted.
There was an effective safeguarding policy and staff had undertaken safeguarding training and could explain the process. The staff team were confident in reporting any concerns about a person's safety or the wellbeing of anyone in the home.
Staff assessed and reviewed people's physical, mental health and social needs and people received support to maintain good nutrition and hydration. Risk assessments had been developed to identify and minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care.
People’s healthcare needs were well understood and met promptly and people received their medicines in a safe manner.
Staff worked collaboratively with other agencies and professionals to support people’s health and well-being.
Staffing levels were flexible to meet changing needs and staff recruitment procedures were thorough. The staff team worked well together and had the training, skills and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.
People's communication needs were assessed and understood by staff. This helped to support people's communication needs and the Accessible Information Standard (AIS).
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.
The provider continued to work to improve the environment to better meet the needs of people living with dementia. This made the home a more interesting and stimulating place for people to live. The building was being well maintained and was a clean and homely place for people to live.
People had access to a range of organised and informal activities. Relatives told us that they were welcomed in the home and their views and feedback were encouraged.
Systems were in place to deal with any complaints or concerns raised about the service. The registered manager treated complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve the service.
The registered manager displayed knowledge and understanding around the importance of openness and working closely with other agencies and healthcare professionals to make sure people had good care.
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 28.3.2017)
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.