This inspection took place on 8 and 11 January 2015 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection in February 2014, we found the provider was meeting the regulations in relation to the outcomes we inspected.Beechmore Court is a residential care home providing care and support for up to 36 people. The home is located in the London borough of Bromley in Kent. At the time of our inspection the home was providing care and support to 34 people. The home had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
There were suitable safeguarding adult’s policies and procedures in place to protect people from possible harm. People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff had received appropriate support and training which enabled them to identify abuse and take appropriate actions to report and escalate concerns.
Assessments were completed regarding the levels of risk to people’s physical and mental health which ensured staff had information and guidance they needed to promote people’s health, safety and welfare whilst ensuring known risks were reduced or minimised. Care plans contained personalised emergency evacuation plans for individuals. Staff knew what to do in the event of a fire and who to contact.
Accidents and incidents involving the safety of people using the service and staff were recorded, managed and acted on appropriately. There were safe staff recruitment practices in place and appropriate recruitment checks were conducted before staff started work to ensure they were suitable to be employed in a social care environment. There were enough staff to ensure people’s needs were met at any given time. Medicines were stored, managed and administered safely.
There were processes in place to ensure staff new to the home had appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care. Staff completed training on a regular basis that was relevant to the needs of people using the service. There were systems in place which ensured the service complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This provides protection for people who do not have capacity to make decisions for themselves. People were supported to eat and drink suitable healthy foods and sufficient amounts to meet their needs and ensure well-being. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to a range of health and social care professionals when required.
Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s needs and could describe peoples’ preferences in how they liked to be supported. Staff treated people in a respectful, dignified and caring manner. People were provided with appropriate information that met their needs and were supported to understand the care and support choices available to them.
People were assessed prior to moving in to the home to ensure the service was the right environment for them and that the service could meet their individual needs. People received care and treatment in accordance with their identified needs and wishes. People were supported to engage in a range of activities that met their needs and reflected their interests. There was a complaints policy and procedure in place and people were provided with information on how to make a complaint.
The home and provider took account of people’s views with regard to the service provided through satisfaction surveys that were carried out on an annual basis. There were systems and processes in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of the service provided.