Bede House

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

People’s needs had been assessed to help identify what care they needed. Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink and to access healthcare when required.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People and relatives had opportunities to discuss, with staff, the care provided. A relative confirmed the registered manager completed an assessment jointly with family members, staff and a social worker. They said, “All of the admission paperwork and assessment seemed to be in great detail and nothing seemed to be a problem.”

People’s needs had been assessed both before and after they were admitted to Bede House. People’s preferences were documented, such as wanting a female carer. Important information was gathered to ensure people received safe care. This included how they communicated their wishes, the medicines they took and allergies. This information was used as the basis for developing care plans. The provider has systems to monitor people physical and mental health. These included tools to assess the risks of poor nutrition, skin damage, mobility and falls.

Staff confirmed they were involved in assessing people’s needs and finding out their likes and dislikes. One staff member said, “We ask them [people], families help us too, we fill in dietary requirements and we let the kitchen staff know. We ask about people’s preferences too.” Another staff member told us, “For new admissions, we fill in the forms and we update the staff so everyone is aware.”

Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink. Care plans described the support people needed with eating and drinking. Where required, people had been referred to speech and language therapists and/or dietitians for additional support and guidance.

Staff described how they supported people with nutrition and hydration. For example, where required, monitoring people’s weight and supporting people to eat and drink as needed.

People and relatives gave mostly positive feedback about the meals provided at the home. Some people felt the menu was repetitive and they would like different choices. A person commented, “The food is good but often the meals are the same thing.” A relative said, “The food is really good.” Meals were adapted to suit the needs of different people. One relative told us, “[Family member] has a completely different menu to everyone at the home.”

People and relatives felt there was good teamwork, focused on providing good care. A person said, “I think the service is coordinated well. The managers know who we all are and [registered manager] knows everyone.” A relative gave an example of how quickly the staff responded to their family member indicating they were in pain. A staff member got the nurse to check their family member was okay.

Staff described how they worked well together and felt team work was good. A senior manager commented, “A lot of staff have been here since opening and it’s a good team. A staff member said, “I feel we are all calm and we work as a good team. We all work together.”

Most partners felt communication between the home and external professionals had improved, especially since the new manager started. A communication book had been implemented to improve information sharing.

Staff worked together to support people and their needs were met. Referrals were made to health professionals and recommendations followed. Some care records lacked personalised information about people's needs and preferences.

People and relatives gave positive feedback about how staff supported them to make healthy choices. A person told us, “I get support to go out, like shopping at Asda. We also went to the pub yesterday.” A relative said staff encouraged their family member to have a walk to the shops. Another relative told us staff encouraged their family member to participate in some dancing, have their hair done and see the podiatrist.

Care plans included information about people's past medical history and health professionals involved in their care.

Staff told us they would refer to health professionals, such as the speech and language therapy (SALT) team for an assessment when needed. For example, when people’s needs were changing. Staff described how one person had regained their mobility following a fall and having been supported to complete an exercise programme.

The provider had systems to monitor people’s care. Daily records showed people usually received the care they required, such as food and fluid monitoring charts. People's care records were not always person-centred to include information about their preferences.

Staff told us they aimed to support people to achieve positive outcomes. A staff member commented, “I take great satisfaction in tending to the needs of our residents, knowing that every interaction is an opportunity to improve their quality of life.”

People and relatives told us they were happy with how the care was provided. A person said, “Everything is fine [with my care] and I can't think of any improvements to make.” A relative confirmed staff supported their relative with things that were important to them, such as going shopping.

People had specific care plans which guided staff about how people gave consent to their care and should be supported to make choices. People also had access to advocacy services where needed.

Staff confirmed they would seek consent before providing care or support. They also said they would respect a person’s right to refuse and would seek advice if this happened. A staff member commented, “It's their choice and you can't force. You can encourage and inform them, chat and try and give them some time.”

People were asked for permission before receiving care. A person said, “Staff are always checking on me, they knock on my door and ask if they can come in.” A relative confirmed they had been asked to sign various consent forms. People told us they had access to advocacy services.