10 January 2019
During a routine inspection
•There were enough staff to meet people’s assessed needs and support their planned activities.
•Risks which affected people’s daily lives, both in the home and out in the community, were documented and known by staff.
•Staff had completed safeguarding training and knew what to do if they were concerned about people’s well-being.
•Staff provided support for people to take the medicines they needed to remain well.
•People's needs were assessed and staff received training which enabled them to provide care and support in line with best practice.
•People were supported to choose what they wanted to eat and to maintain good health. Staff were aware that people’s needs could change, and understood when to involve other health care professionals and services when this was required.
•People were supported by staff to make decisions about their care. Staff used their knowledge of people’s preferred ways of communicating, to assist people to make their own choices.
•Staff treated people with empathy and kindness. Staff took a genuine interest in people, knew them well and had a good understanding of their social and cultural diversity.
• Staff treated people with dignity and respect and overall, promoted their independence.
•Care plans contained sufficient detail, and work was being completed to ensure they were even more personalised and expressed what was important to people.
•People benefitted from engagement in meaningful occupation that supported their interests and hobbies.
• Since our last inspection in November 2017, the registered manager and staff had worked together to improve outcomes for people.
•However, some improvements were still required to ensure the quality of record keeping was consistently maintained and messages were communicated effectively.
•The provider was exploring relationships with another charitable organisation to ensure the future sustainability of the service.
•People, relatives and staff were being supported to make their views known about the future direction of the service.
•We found the service met the characteristics of a “Good” rating in four areas and “Requires Improvement” in one area; More information is available in the full report
Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement. The last report for Beech Lodge DEAF-initely Independent was published on 9 January 2018.
About the service: Beech Lodge DEAF-initely Independent is a residential care home. The service is delivered from two adjacent houses, Beech Lodge and Chestnut Lodge. It provides accommodation and personal care for up to 19 deaf younger adults, who may have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, a physical disability or a sensory impairment. Fifteen people were living at the home on the day of our inspection.
Deaf-initely Independent is a charitable organisation who is the service provider. It is overseen by a board of trustees who meet monthly.
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service has improved its rating from Requires Improvement to Good overall.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.