The Beeches Residential Home

Updated 1 December 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

This inspection took place on 19 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 1 December 2020

This inspection took place on 12 September 2017.

The Beeches is a care home, run by D J Barzotelli, providing accommodation with personal care and support for up to 18 adults with learning disabilities. The home is situated close to Canterbury town centre. 17 people were living there at the time of the inspection.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good.

People told us they were happy in the home. The majority of people had lived there for many years and were supported by the registered manager and staff whom they had known and had worked there for the last 10 to 15 years. There was an established warm culture of support and friendly banter amongst people and staff that they described as being like a ‘large family’.

The registered manager worked alongside staff and spent time with people. People said they were comfortable and confident to say what they thought and there was a clear easy to understand complaint procedure. People’s views about the service offered were routinely sought. What people liked and what could be better were taken into consideration in the development of the service, alongside current good practice guidance from professional organisations. The entrance hall area had been decorated following feedback and with involvement of people who had chosen a new colour scheme and furnishings.

There were plenty of staff to support people and staff were recruited safely. Staff were kind and caring to people and people were treated with dignity and respect. Staff knew how to recognise and respond to abuse and the registered manager had reported any safeguarding concerns to the local authority. Action had been taken to prevent incidents happening again as far as possible.

There were clear ways to help people make decisions. Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. There were some restrictions in the environment to protect people. These did not affect everyone, for example some people had keys and all restrictions were kept under review by the registered manager.

People were occupied with their own routines during the day and had established their preferred lifestyle. Each person had their own interests and preferences and these were supported with a variety of planned and spontaneous activities. People’s care plans were informative and person centred and included assessments of risk to protect people. People were supported to develop their independence as much as they wanted to.

People said they enjoyed the meals and some people chatted with the cook about the food. There was a set menu and people, who needed them, had variations to accommodate specialist diets and health care conditions.

People were supported to keep as well and healthy as possible. If people became unwell the staff responded promptly and made sure that people accessed the appropriate services as quickly as possible. People received their medicines safely and when they needed them, by staff who were trained and competent.

The registered manager and staff made sure they had the skills, accessed the right specialist support and had appropriate equipment to support people if their needs changed and the team had gone the extra mile to care for people at the end of their life.

The registered manager carried out checks of the home and systems to make sure it was safe and staff knew how to respond if there was an issue or an emergency. The Care Quality Commission had been notified of important events within the service, as required by law.

Further information is in the detailed findings below