Archived: Beech Trees

Updated 7 May 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 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 was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Beech Trees 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the statutory notifications that had been submitted since the last inspection. Notifications are changes, events and incidents that the service must inform us about. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

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During the inspection-

We met with five people who lived at the service and spoke with four staff, including the registered manager and three support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two 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 telephoned four relatives of people using the service to gain an understanding of their views about people’s lives at Beech Trees. We also received feedback from two external professionals who had experience of working with the service.

Updated 7 May 2020

About the service

Beech Trees is a residential care home providing personal care to 7 people with learning and physical disabilities at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 7 people.

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

There were systems in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Safe staffing levels were maintained, and staff had been recruited safely. Medicines were managed appropriately, and the service was clean and tidy with infection risks managed well. The service was reflective in the way events and incidents were reviewed in order to improve care.

People’s needs were assessed and kept under review. People were supported to maintain good health and had choice over their meals. Staff had access to the training that they needed and there was good communication within the team. The premises were very homely with a lot of personalisation. Staff took appropriate steps to ensure people’s legal rights were promoted and upheld regarding consent for care.

There was a clear focus on promoting people's independence and a lot of meaningful engagement between staff and people. People enjoyed positive relationships with the staff who supported them.

People were supported to meet their cultural needs and were actively included in all aspects of their care with their choices being respected.

People had opportunities to do their chosen activities. Communication needs were met and there was good information available to support staff to understand residents’ individual communication styles. People were encouraged and supported to share their views. When concerns were raised, they were listened to and acted upon.

Feedback from staff and people’s relatives about the manager was positive. Staff said that the manager is supportive and communicates well with them. Staff were encouraged to put forward their ideas for improvements and given individual responsibilities. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

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 16 August 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.