Beechwood House

Updated 10 November 2022

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

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Beechwood House 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. Beechwood House 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. 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.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 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.

Inspection activity started on 26 September and ended on 10 October 2022. We visited the service on 26 and 29 September 2022.

What we did before 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 3 people who lived at the home. We spoke with 5 members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, a senior support worker and two support workers.

We looked at the care records of 2 people, a sample of medicines records and other records related to the management of the home. We emailed 5 external health and social care professionals and asked for feedback about their experience of the service. We received 1 reply.

Updated 10 November 2022

About the service

Beechwood House is a care home providing personal care to 5 people with a learning disability. The service can support up to 5 people.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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

Right Support: People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice. People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms. Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area. The home ensured people had access specialist health and social care support in the community.

Right Care: People received kind and compassionate care. Staff promoted equality and diversity. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Enough appropriately skilled staff were deployed to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. The home gave people opportunities to try new activities that enhanced and enriched their lives.

Right Culture: The provider ‘s quality assurance systems had not identified the gaps in the monitoring of people’s financial support and ensuring the MCA code of practice was followed. People received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive to their needs. People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care.

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 and update

This service was registered with us on 16 July 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified a breach in relation to the failure to follow the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) at this inspection.

We have made a recommendation that the provider keeps their quality monitoring system under review to ensure it effectively monitors the quality and safety of the service.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

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