Beechwood Grove

Updated 18 August 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 Care Act 2014.

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

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors who visited the service.

Service and service type

Beechwood Grove 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.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received from, and about, the service since the last inspection and we sought feedback from the local authority. We used all 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. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who used the service, about their experience of the care provided. Not everyone who lived at Beechwood Grove were able to talk with us about their views, so we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We observed administration of medicine. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, registered nurses and all designations of care staff.

We reviewed a range of management records including safety and maintenance records and audits. We reviewed eight people’s care and support records. We looked at records in relation to staff training and staff supervision.

Following the inspection, we continued to seek clarification from the manager to validate evidence found. We spoke with two visiting professionals and a member of the local authority commissioning team. We also received further feedback from two visitors by telephone.

Updated 18 August 2022

About the service

Beechwood Grove provides accommodation and nursing care for up to 60 older people, who lived with a range of general health problems, such as stroke, dementia, diabetes, heart problems, Parkinson’s disease and general mobility problems. At the time of the inspection there were 56 people living at the home. Beachwood Grove is a purpose-built home over three floors with level access throughout for those with mobility problems. It is divided into three units, residential unit, memory loss unit and a nursing unit.

People’s experience of using this service

Systems and processes to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided were in place. However, there were areas that needed to be developed to include the actions taken and outcome. This was discussed during the inspection and action taken immediately. For example, incident and accident forms were completed but there was a lack of documented analysis and follow up to prevent a re-occurrence or to mitigate risk. From talking to the registered manager and staff we were assured that action had been taken by staff to mitigate risk. There was a lack of oversight on care delivery in respect of end of life care. Whilst there was evidence of clinical checks, the care delivered was not person centred or dignified during the inspection. This was shared with the deputy manager who took immediate action. We were assured of actions taken and of the sessions booked with staff to reflect on the observations shared with the management team.

People felt safe at the home and when staff provided their care. One person said, “I feel safe here and it’s a lovely place to live.” Another said, “Really can’t complain, I’m safe and well looked after.” Care plans and risk assessments meant peoples’ safety and well-being were protected. People were supported to take positive risks, to ensure they had as much choice and control of their lives as possible. We observed medicines being given safely to people by appropriately trained staff, who had been assessed as competent. The home was well-maintained and comfortable. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Safe recruitment practices had been followed before staff started working at the service.

The home had an effective management team which provided good leadership for staff and communicated effectively with people, relatives and professionals. Staff were positive about their roles and felt valued for the work they did.

The views of people who lived at the home, their relatives and staff were encouraged and acted upon by the management team. People and their relatives felt able to raise any concerns they had and were confident these would receive an appropriate response.

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 25 June 2019)

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the delivery of care, management of confidential information and poor culture. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks, looking at safe and well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

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.

Follow up

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