Updated 28 May 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
The inspection team consisted of four inspectors, including a new inspector who was shadowing. One of the inspectors was a qualified physiotherapist who focused on reviewing how staff supported people to move safely. The team also included a nursing advisor and two Experts by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. One Expert by Experience visited the service and spent time speaking to people who used the service and their families. The second made phone calls to people and their families.
Service and service type
Signature at the Beeches 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. Signature at the Beeches is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service is dual registered and both providers are responsible for service delivery at the location. The providers are Signature Senior Lifestyle Operations Ltd and WR Operations 1 Limited (registration
Registered Manager
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.
There was a new manager who had submitted their application to CQC to become the registered manager of the service. The registration was confirmed before the publication of this report, so they are referred in this report as the ‘registered manager’.
Notice of inspection
The first visit to the service was unannounced. We announced our return visit.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. This included feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service, safeguarding alerts and statutory notifications, which related to the service. Statutory notifications included information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law. 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 focused on speaking with people who lived at the service and observing how they were cared for. 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 also spoke with 15 people and 11 relatives for their feedback on the service.
We spoke with the new registered manager, the clinical services manager, the activity coordinator, the nursing care manager and other senior staff responsible for the running of the service. We spoke with three nurses, eight care staff and two domestic staff. We also met with the providers regional director and former registered manager who visited the servi