• Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Beechdene Care Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

29-30 Woodhouse Road, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 2AY (01623) 649351

Provided and run by:
Mrs Doreen Parkes

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

4 July 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service

Beechdene Care Home is a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties, providing support to people living with a learning disability and/or autism. It was registered to support up to 17 people. 17 people were using the service at the time of inspection. The accommodation comprised of 17 bedrooms across three floors. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the three lounges, computer room and other communal spaces where people could choose to spend time alone or in company.

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.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Staff knew people well and supported people in line with the person’s preferences and wishes. Staff encouraged people to retain their independence, but we discussed with the assistant managers that the younger adults at the home could have plans and support that were more geared to them achieving skills to move on from the service if they so wished.

Medicines were managed safely, there were enough staff on duty and staff were recruited safely.

People were supported to access healthcare services if needed. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and staff were trained to support people who had different dietary needs.

Interactions we saw between people and the staff team were positive and relatives also said they were made very welcome at the home.

Care and support plans were person centred and people were involved in their reviews.

People were supported to engage in activities they enjoyed and we saw the service promoted people accessing local community facilities and supporting them to go on trips and holidays. People and their relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint.

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.

Systems to monitor the quality of the care provided were effective. The service was going through a change of provider, but we saw the assistant managers had a clear vision about the quality of care they wanted to provide. The service worked well with other community partners.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 September 2015).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

21 September 2015

During a routine inspection

We inspected the service on 21 September 2015. Beechdene is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 17 people with learning disabilities. On the day of our inspection there were 16 people living at the home.

The home had a registered manager, who was also the provider. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Everyone we spoke with told us that they were happy living at Beechdene and most had done so for a number of years. People considered that the people they lived with were part of their family. They told us that they felt safe and were fully enabled to live the lives they chose with the support that they needed. People lived very independent lives.

People told us that staff met their needs effectively and were all kind and caring. Staff told us that they loved working at the home and we found that they were very knowledgeable about people’s needs, preferences and life histories. They offered effective support that enabled people to live full and active lives. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity.

Staff were very positive about the support and training they received. They told us that they had received training to equip them with the knowledge and skills to support people safely. They also received training in relation to meeting the specific health needs of people. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and would be confident to recognise and report it. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs effectively and staff were recruited through safe recruitment practices.

Staff told us that they were well supported by the provider and the assistant managers who had been delegated the day to day responsibility for the running of the home. Staff had regular opportunities to discuss their personal and professional development and we saw how staff ‘went the extra mile’ to ensure people’s needs were met. We saw that staff communicated effectively and actively listened to the people they supported. People made decisions and choices about how they spent their days and routines were flexible to enable them to do so.

Care plans were personalised and had been written with the full involvement and support of the person they belonged to. People had signed their plans to say they agreed with the content and there was evidence that they were regularly reviewed and updated.

People had a good range of opportunities in relation to holidays and activities. Some people attended college courses and others had work placements. People had busy lives and had regular contact with family and people who were important to them.

People were supported to remain in good health, attending appointments and check-ups as necessary. People received their medicines safely and medicines were stored and recorded appropriately.

People were provided with sufficient food and drink to maintain their good health and wellbeing, and the standard of food provided was very good.

People felt listened to and would be confident to make a complaint or raise a concern if they needed to. Staff knew the complaints procedure and we saw outside agencies had supported people with decision making when appropriate. People living at the home and the staff team had opportunities to be involved in discussions about the running of the home and felt the management team provided good leadership. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the services provided.

22 October 2013

During a routine inspection

As part of our inspection we spoke with nine people who used the service, two relatives and a visiting professional for their views. We also spoke with the registered manager, two deputy managers, a member of staff and an apprentice. We looked at service information, care plan files for three people and did a tour of the building.

People we spoke with told us they were involved in discussions and decisions about their care and support. Comments included, 'We have review meetings once a year. We can invite our families.' And, 'I feel involved with everything. The staff listen to me and treat me right.'

We saw people received well balanced and nutritious meals. People we spoke with told us they received a choice of meals. Comments included, 'We have a choice of what to eat. Some of us can make ourselves a drink independently.'

The provider had policies and procedures for the administration of medication. People told us they received their medication at the same time every day. Some people managed their own medication, they told us, 'I self-medicate, the staff respect my choices and decisions.'

People we spoke with including two relatives and the visiting professional spoke highly about the staff. They told us they thought there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people's needs and keep people safe.

We saw the provider had internal quality assurance audits in place to monitor the service and that people were asked for their views and wishes.

5 December 2012

During a routine inspection

When we visited the home some people using the service were very keen to talk to us and tell us how happy they were to be living there. They described having full and active lives in which they experienced frequent holidays such as cruises, regular meals out and visits to their family. We also spoke with other people using the service that had not come directly to us. These people were also happy living at the service and had no concerns.

The care plans and care records we looked at showed that the staff placed the needs, wishes, preferences and decisions of people who used the service at the centre of the assessment, planning and delivery of care and support. The staff were putting people who used the service at the heart of their own care planning process, empowering them and respecting their individual preferences.

People using the service told us,' I love the people here, I am looking forward to Christmas with all of them, and they are my new family. ' A second person told us, 'The staff here are very nice, I trust them and I can talk to them if I have a problem.They look after us well'.

5 March 2012

During an inspection in response to concerns

On the day of our visit to Beechdene there were fifteen people living at the care home.

We spoke with two people who live at Beechdene. They told us that they liked living at the care home and that the staff were: 'Very nice.' 'We are going on a cruise for 9 days to Spain.' 'I had some problems when I came here but the staff helped me and it's alright now.'

Both of the people who we spoke with were aware of their care plans and knew what was in them. They could both point out different things in the care file, and it was clear that they were quite familiar with documents, and that the content had been discussed with them by the staff.

We spoke with two people who live at Beechdene, and asked if they felt safe living at the care home. They both said that they did. We also asked if the staff were kind, and again we were told: 'I like most of the staff.' 'When I came here I didn't feel very safe, because I had some problems, but now I do feel safe, and the staff look after me and they help me to be safe.'