Beechcroft Care Home

Updated 3 April 2020

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

This consisted of one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses a residential care service.

Service and service type

Beechcroft Care Home 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 inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the provider, registered manager, home administrator, activities co-ordinator, senior care worker, two care workers, GP and the chef. We made general observations of the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 3 April 2020

About the service

Beechcroft Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care and support to people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 30 people.

People's experience of using this service

The safeguarding systems in place provided staff with knowledge of how to protect people from the risk of harm and abuse. Training in safeguarding equipped staff to report any suspected abuse promptly for investigation. Risks associated with people’s health and well-being were assessed and management plans were put in place for staff to take action to mitigate any risks.

Medicines were administered so people received them as prescribed. Each person had a medicine administration record that was completed when staff supported them, these records were reviewed for their accuracy and completeness.

Staff were deployed within the service to best meet people’s assessed care and support needs. People contributed and were involved in their care assessments, including how they wanted their care and support provided.

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.

An activities coordinator asked people for their views on current social activities or new hobbies they were interested in. As a result, a variety of social activities were provided at the home. The onsite chef prepared meals each day and a menu was available for people.

Staff were proactive to support people when their health needs changed. A GP visited the service each week and there were systems in place for people to have a health check-up and a medicines review. People discussed their individual end of life wishes and these were recorded in line with people’s choices.

People gave staff positive feedback about the care they received and the service where they lived. People confirmed staff were kind and provided care with dignity and in privacy. The complaints system allowed people to make a complaint about the service or an aspect of their care.

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

Rating at last inspection and update: The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 8 February 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

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

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.