We carried out a review of the data available to us about Beechcroft Green Nursing Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Beechcroft Green Nursing Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Beechcroft Green Nursing Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 25 people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection 24 people were receiving support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People's needs were met in an individual and personalised way by staff who were kind, caring and responsive to their changing needs. People felt listened to and knew how to raise concerns. Enough staff who had been recruited safely were available to meet people’s needs and we observed staff respecting people's privacy and protecting their dignity.
People could be confident they were supported by staff who had access to appropriate guidance and understood how to keep them safe. Staff’s knowledge of the people they supported was good and they were able to tell us about the risks associated with their care and how to minimise these.
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 appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. They received regular supervision to help develop their skills and support them in their role.
People knew how to raise concerns. They had confidence in the registered manager and told us they would recommend the service to others. A quality assurance system was in place to assess, monitor and improve the service. Incidents and accidents were monitored by the registered manager. Where incidents occurred in the home the registered manager ensured appropriate action was taken for people to reduce the likelihood of injury or recurrence.
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 16 March 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
We undertook this unannounced comprehensive inspection on the 10 January 2017 to check the registered provider had met all the legal requirements. We found they had taken steps to address all of the breaches in the Regulations which we had identified in our previous inspection.
Beechcroft Green is a care home that provides care and nursing support for up to 25 older people. At the time of our inspection 25 people lived at the home. Accommodation was over two floors and a lift was available.
A registered manager was in place. 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.
Staff knew how to report concerns or abuse. There were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs who were employed through safe recruitment processes.
Risk assessments were carried out and management plans put in place to enable people to receive safe care. There were effective and up to date systems to check and maintain the safety of the premises. Medicines were managed safely.
Staff received support through supervision and training opportunities.
Appropriate applications for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards had been applied for and authorised. The service was working jointly with the local authority to get the authorisation of other applications.
Staff obtained consent when carrying out care or treatment.
People were offered a varied and nutritious food menu.
People had access to healthcare professionals as required to meet their day-to-day health needs.
People thought staff were caring and staff knew how to build positive relationships with people who used the service. Staff ensured people's privacy and dignity was respected and their level of independence was maintained. Each person had a named nurse and named carer who they could speak with as a first point of contact.
Staff knew the people they were supporting including their preferences to ensure a personalised service was provided. A variety of activities were offered in the home.
The service dealt with complaints in accordance with their policy and timescales.
People and staff thought the manager was approachable and supportive. The provider held regular meetings for staff and for people and their relatives. People and their representatives were given the opportunity to complete feedback surveys.
The provider had quality assurance systems in place to identify areas for improvement and had brought in extra support to enable improvements to take place.
This inspection took place on 20 January 2015. It was unannounced.
Beechcroft Green Nursing Home is registered to provide personal care, nursing care and accommodation for up to 25 older people and people living with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people living at the home. People had a variety of nursing needs. Accommodation was arranged over two floors in a combination of single and shared rooms. There was a shared lounge and an enclosed garden with a paved area.
Beechcroft Green Nursing Home had been without a registered manager since April 2014. 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. When we visited the home the deputy manager was acting as manager. They had been in post for two months, and it was the provider’s intention the deputy manager would apply for registration as manager.
Records of medicines administered were not accurate and did not protect people from risks associated with medicines. However medicines were ordered, stored, handled and disposed of in a way which kept people safe from associated risks.
Staff did not always receive support in the form of an organised programme of training, supervision and appraisal which conformed to the provider’s own procedures.
The provider’s procedures for assessing and monitoring the quality of service were not always followed and did not always lead to improvements where issues were identified.
People were kept safe because the provider took steps to avoid the risk of avoidable harm or abuse. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns about possible abuse. Risks to people’s safety and welfare were assessed and actions were taken to reduce their risks while promoting their liberty. The provider had procedures to follow in the event of emergencies, and these were tested regularly.
There were enough staff to support people to the required standard and to keep them safe. The provider carried out the necessary recruitment checks before staff started work.
Staff followed processes to obtain people’s consent to care and treatment. Where people lacked capacity to make certain decisions staff were guided by the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure any decisions were made in the person’s best interests. The Care Quality Commission monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which apply to care homes. We found Beechcroft Green Nursing Home to be meeting the requirements of the DoLS.
People were satisfied with the menu choices offered and the quality of the food served. Where people had specific needs or preferences concerning their food or how it was prepared, staff were aware of these and accommodated them. People received effective treatment and were supported to access healthcare services both in the home and as hospital out-patients.
People had positive, caring relationships with the staff who supported them. People were able to participate in decisions about their care and support, and their views were listened to. Staff took steps to promote people’s dignity and privacy.
The care and support people received met their needs and was reviewed regularly. If people’s needs changed, their care plans were updated to reflect their changing needs. People were supported to take part in a variety of leisure activities which reflected their interests and preferences. Staff listened to people and learned from their comments and complaints to improve the quality of service provided.
There was a friendly, homely culture with open communication between the staff, people living at the home and their relations. People were confident the deputy manager would manage the service effectively and responsively. Staff felt supported and motivated.
We found three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 which correspond to breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see the action we told the provider to take at the end of the full version of this report.
People had been involved in developing their care plans and, where appropriate, representatives had been consulted. Where people were able to, they had signed the care plans to show their agreement.
People in the home appeared relaxed and comfortable with the staff who were supporting them. One person told us, ''staff look after us really well and keep us safe".
People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. All staff complimented the manager for the support that they had provided them.
The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service and others. Families of people using the service were encouraged to be involved in events in the home.
People we spoke with said that the staff 'Are nice and helpful'. One said 'Sometimes I have to wait for a while when I need help, they come eventually'. We did note that on two occasions the call bell rang for some time in one case six minutes before it was switched off and the person attended to; the time was 12:18. We spoke with the manager about this and they said that there were times when staff took longer to answer the call bell lunchtime for example. We had seen one member of staff taking meals to people in their rooms. The manager said that nine people need assistance with their meals and this can also lead to a longer response time.
Comments from staff included 'There have been changes in the paperwork in the last few months and training' and 'The paperwork is easier now'.
In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a Registered Manager on our register at the time.
People told us they were happy living at the home. They were able to express their views and wishes and the staff always responded positively to any issues. They told us that their wishes, about how they received their care, were always taken into account.
We were told about how they were able to choose whether to join in with group activities and those people that did join in with these activities spoke about how much they enjoyed them. Other people chose to occupy themselves in their private rooms doing activities such a listening to music, watching their television or reading books.
People told us there were always staff available to provide support and they mostly responded to call bells promptly.
Visitors told us that they had experienced other care homes and by comparison preferred to have their relative at Beechcroft Green.
However, whilst people using the service and relatives gave positive comments about the care offered at Beechwood Green, we found that records of care were not reviewed regularly and did not always reflect current needs of people. Also monitoring of care needs did not take place in line with the home's policies and procedures.
Whilst carrying out this inspection we followed up on action we had required the home to take following our inspection in March 2012.
Generally people were happy with the care and supported offered at Beechcroft Green; 'it's not the same as living in your own home but given my circumstances that couldn't be, so Beechcroft Green was a good option'. 'I am involved in my care and I can do what I want with my time and day, there isn't a routine imposed on me'.
Staff told us that they had received regular training, were supported by the management of the service and that they could speak with senior staff about any concerns they had about the running of the service.
Relatives we spoke with told us that the home was 'homely' and spoke about the provider with high regard; although they said they could also speak freely with all staff. 'The staff conduct themselves in a caring and professional manner'.