Beachcomber Care Home

Updated 19 January 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors.

Service and service type

Beachcomber Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Beachcomber Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 12 December and ended on 21 December 2022. We visited the service on 12 December 2022.

What we did before the 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people, 2 relatives, a visiting healthcare professional and 10 staff, including the registered manager, senior care assistants, care assistants, kitchen and laundry staff.

We observed interactions between staff and people in communal areas, including at lunchtime. We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people's care records and medication records. We looked at 2 staff files. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.

Updated 19 January 2023

About the service

Beachcomber Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 48 people. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people using the service.

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

People living at Beachcomber Care Home told us they received safe care. Since the last inspection systems to monitor people’s safety had improved and risks were documented, although some inaccuracies were noted in the recording. Staff knew about current risks and how to respond. Concerns about people’s safety were acted on and staff knew how to raise safeguarding concerns. Medicines were managed safely. There was not always clear written guidance about topical and “as and when needed” medicines. This was corrected by the registered manager during this inspection. We observed safe staffing levels and received feedback from staff, relatives and people that there were enough staff to support people safely.

Staff had the necessary skills to carry out their roles. Staff had regular training and opportunities for supervision and observations of their work performance. People had access to healthcare services when they needed them. The home was clean, well maintained and people’s rooms were personalised.

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. People were supported to eat varied and appropriate diets. People spoke positively about the food on offer.

The registered manager was supported by the provider and there were clear lines of responsibility in the home. Regular audits were taking place, but these were not consistently identifying and correcting inconsistency in records found at this inspection. Since the last inspection a new electronic care system had been introduced with a view to improving record keeping and oversight. The new system was not yet fully up to date and the new processes were not yet embedded. There were systems to learn and develop practice from concerns raised and management shared learning with staff. Staff worked with external social and health care professionals and we received positive feedback from agencies involved with the home.

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 02 November 2021) and there were 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.

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider review staffing levels and practices around the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and seek guidance on audits. At this inspection we found improvements had been made in relation to staffing levels and responding to the MCA. Some improvements had been made to audits but were still failing to identify all issues in the service.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 31 August 2021 and 01 September 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Beachcomber Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.