Background to this inspection
Updated
19 August 2015
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This inspection took place on 7 and 12 May 2015 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and provider did not know we would be attending. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also examined other information that we held about the provider.
We looked around the home and talked with two members of staff, the registered manager, the deputy manager and the area director. We also spoke with a consultant psychiatrist who was visiting the home. We did not speak with the people that lived in the home as they were unable to communicate with us due to their complex needs. However, we saw how staff interacted with these people. We looked at people’s care records and records which related to staffing including their recruitment procedures and the training and development of staff. We inspected the most recent records relating to the management of the home including quality assurance reports.
After the inspection we spoke with one relative by telephone . We looked at information sent to us after the inspection relating to staff training and support processes.
Updated
19 August 2015
This inspection took place on 7 and 12 May 2015 and was unannounced. Beechcroft - Cheltenham provides accommodation and personal care for up to four people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were three people living there at the time of the inspection.
A registered manager was in place as required by their conditions of registration. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People’s care was focused around their individual needs and support requirements. People were supported to take part in activities that were meaningful to them and to maintain relationships outside of the home. Staff knew people’s preferences in food and dietary requirements. Specialist advice was requested where necessary such as the speech and language therapist.
People’s medicines were managed safely on the whole however protocols for the use of ‘when required’ medicines lacked the necessary detail to fully support staff in making decisions about people’s care needs .
People living in the home, their relatives and staff were all encouraged to give regular feedback about the service. Any shortfalls were identified and actioned.
The registered manager led by example to provide a service which was tailored to each person’s individual needs and preferences. As part of this, a balance was achieved between keeping people safe and supporting them to make choices and develop their independence. There was strong support and guidance from the provider with regular monitoring of quality.
Staff felt well supported and had the training and supervision they needed to provide personalised support to each person. The provider was committed to the on-going development of their staff and had developed training and managerial programmes to support this.