The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the quality of care provided by Beckside Lodge in Bradford to be outstanding following an inspection in August this year.
Beckside Lodge is a purpose built home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 10 people with a learning/physical disability. At the time of our visit there were 10 people using the service.
The service was rated Outstanding for being caring and responsive and Good for being safe, effective and well-led.
Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North, said:
“We found the care provided at Beckside Lodge in Bradford, West Yorkshire to be outstanding.
“What struck us about this service was that there was a real sense of 'home' which was shared by people who used the service, relatives, staff and visitors.
“We found the service to be exceptionally caring and people told us they liked the staff and found them to be helpful and kind. We saw there were strong relationships between people using the service and the staff that worked there.
“It was also impressive to see the efforts of staff to support people to become more independent by transforming their opportunities to access the community. People had brilliant opportunities to attend a variety of activities, take holidays, make new friends and to participate in the local and wider community. This was giving people new experiences and they were finding new things to do which they enjoyed and enabled them to develop new skills and lead fulfilled lives.
“The whole team should be very proud of the service they are providing.”
A full report of the inspection has been published on the CQC website.
The report highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice.
At the time of this inspection the registered manager was on annual leave. CQC saw staff were committed to providing the same excellent standard of care at all times and the culture was embedded so that senior staff were not reliant on the presence of the registered manager to deliver an outstanding service to people.
People and their relatives had been involved in planning their care and support. Care plans were individualised and staff worked in a very person centred way. They knew each individual well and how they liked to be supported and respected this at all times. Staff understood how people communicated their needs and responded accordingly. Staff supported people to be as independent as possible and this had increased their opportunities and experiences.
The environment at Beckside Lodge had been extremely well planned throughout. There were 10 large single bedrooms with en-suite toilets and showers a large lounge, sensory room, kitchen/diner, a large bathroom and a further kitchen/diner/lounge. This allowed people to find a space to relax in or to be in a more social, lively area. Corridors and doorways were wide which made access to all of the rooms easy for wheelchair users.
Staff had been recruited safely and had been well trained. There were enough staff on duty with the skills and knowledge to provide people with the care and support they needed. Staff received regular supervision sessions and felt supported in their roles. The turnover of staff was very low and many of the staff had worked at the service since it opened three years ago. All of the staff inspectors spoke with told us how much they enjoyed working at Beckside Lodge and how rewarding they found their jobs.
CQC found people had access to healthcare services and these were accessed in a timely way to make sure people's health care needs were met. The medication system was managed safely and people received their medicines at the right times.
People told inspectors meals were good and the menus provided both choice and variety, people also had a take away every Friday night.
Ends
For further information, please contact Kerri James, CQC Regional Engagement Communications Officer by email kerri.james@cqc.org.uk or by phone on 07464 92 9966.
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