Beacon Case Management Ltd

Updated 12 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that someone

would be in the office.

Inspection activity started on 24 June 2022 and ended on 21 July 2022. We visited the location’s office on 15 July 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 three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, clinical governance manager, case managers and carers. We also spoke with three professionals who worked with the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at records in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We reviewed the provider’s end of life care plan template.

Updated 12 August 2022

About the service

Beacon case management is a case management service for people with acquired serious injuries, specialising in neurological damage, such as brain and spinal injuries. Beacon case management provide a service to legal teams who are working on behalf of their clients to gain compensation for care or as a result of a personal injury or clinical negligence. This service may also continue when any settlement has been reached. The service have a team of professionals such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists who provide ongoing assessments and advice to the legal teams to ensure the care is what people need. At the time of this inspection 58 people were using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People were protected from the risks of abuse and staff were trusted to keep them safe. Medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines and staff were trained to administer medicines. People's care needs were risk assessed and care plans provided staff with the information they needed to manage any identified risks. Staff received training in infection prevention and control and told us Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was available to them.

The service does not directly employ the care staff. The service supported legal teams with recruitment where necessary and maintained an overview of the care team involved to ensure the staff who worked with the service were suitable.

Staff received an induction when they first started working at the service and training relevant to their roles and the people they supported. Staff had regular training and opportunities for supervision.

People's needs were assessed prior to starting with the service and care plans were developed according to people’s needs. The service worked with a wide range of services to ensure people received the care they required. The service liaised with organisations and professionals to ensure people's health and social needs were met.

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.

Staff had received training in equality and diversity and they were committed to ensuring people were treated well. People’s views and decisions about care were incorporated when their care packages were devised. This helped staff to support people in a way that allowed people to have control over their lives and make day to day decisions. People were treated with dignity, privacy and respect. People’s independency was encouraged where possible and their care plans reflected this.

People’s communication needs were met. People were supported to take part in activities in their home and access the community as part of their care planning to ensure their interests were maintained. End of life care was not routinely provided. Staff could be provided end of life training and end of life care could be facilitated alongside community healthcare professionals, if required.

Complaints were minimal and the service had responded to complaints as per the provider’s processes.

The registered manager and staff demonstrated a commitment to people, and they displayed person-centred values. The registered manager and staff worked effectively in partnership with other health and social care organisations, professionals and networks to build connections and achieve better outcomes for people using the service. Governance systems were in place to monitor the standard of care people received.

People and their relatives’ views had been sought through regular contact, surveys and quality monitoring. Feedback from people was positive and any negative comments were followed up. Staff praised the registered manager and wider management team, they felt supported in their roles.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 29 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This is the service’s first inspection since registration with the CQC.

Follow up

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