Beech Tree Care Home

Updated 10 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

The inspection team comprised an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Beech Tree Care Home is a “care home”. People in care homes receive accommodation and 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.

The service had a recently appointed manager whose application to register with us was in progress at the time of the inspection. Registered managers are jointly responsible with the provider 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

We reviewed information we had about the service, including the previous inspection report and notifications we received about certain events at the service. We used this information to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return before this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us after their first inspection to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with eight people who used the service and nine visiting relatives about people’s experience of the care provided. We spoke with the manager and six staff members. We observed people’s care and support in the shared areas of the home.

We reviewed a range of records. This included people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training. Other records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

After the inspection

We exchanged emails with the manager and received additional records after the inspection. We used all the evidence from our inspection visit and assigned a rating based on our published characteristics of ratings.

Updated 10 April 2020

About the service

Beech Tree Care Home is a residential care home providing nursing and personal care to 57 people at the time of the inspection. The service is registered to support up to 60 older people and younger adults with a variety of nursing needs. It accommodates people in a purpose-built building on three floors.

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

People received care and support that was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. People were protected from avoidable harm, abuse and other risks to their health and welfare, including the risk of the spread of infectious diseases. People had their medicines in line with their prescriptions and preferences.

People’s care and support was effective and based on detailed assessments. Care plans reflected people’s physical, mental and social needs. 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.

There were caring relationships between people and staff. Staff knew people, their interests, life histories, and families. Staff respected and promoted people’s privacy and dignity, and encouraged people to be as independent as possible.

People’s care and support met their needs and reflected their preferences. The provider was aware of and followed best practice guidance. People could take part in activities inside and outside the home. The provider was aware of the importance of preventing social isolation.

The service was well led. There was focus on meeting people’s individual needs and preferences. There were effective quality assurance processes in place. The manager had plans to maintain and improve the quality of the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 4 April 2018). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.

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.